Falling Stars
by Celyia
Summary: After Kagome spares the youkai lord's life, Sesshoumaru finds himself obsessing over the girl and her strange powers.
1. Prologue

  
  


*** FALLING STARS ***  
  
An Inuyasha Fanfiction  
  
Celyia (ladycelyia@aol.com)  
  


  
  
Author's Note: Okay, I know I said I wasn't going to write any more but last night I was inspired. :-) Don't analyse. Don't look for consistency. Just go with the flow! :-) Lemme know what you think, eh? By the bye, the prologue is short, but those of you familiar with my writing know that my stuff tends to get pretty long. Hang in there! Thanks!   
  


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Prologue  
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He lay sprawled out upon the forest floor, his mouth pulling into a slight, unwelcome frown as he realised that he was powerless to tear his eyes away from the diminutive figure that hovered above him.   
  
He, one of the most powerful youkai lords to have ever stalked across this land in literally thousands of years, had been bested by a mere human. A human *girl*, at that. It annoyed him to lie there, stunned among the grass and rocks of the quiet forest, to watch as the puny white knees (visible beneath the short hem of the strange green and white kimono she always adorned) shook and knocked together.   
  
This strange, weak girl was the one who had defeated him. And the most incredibly galling thing was that she appeared to be more surprised by this than he was. Which, to be completely honest, was saying a lot.   
  
Had Jaken or Inuyasha been around to see this humiliation, he would have killed them before they could have blinked. But instead, his movements were slow and wary as he pulled himself up into a sitting position, watching an unaccountable fear blossom in the girl's widening eyes.   
  
Her hands, clutching so tightly to the rather puny bow and arrow pointed at his heart that the knuckles were white, trembled even as she tried to draw herself up to her full (and, unfortunately, unimpressive) height and stare down at the fallen lord.   
  
He barked out a short laugh, the sound rusty and ironic, as he looked the girl over carefully, the most petty part of his pride pleased to see her jump at the sound. So this was the driving force behind his little brother's recent successes. She didn't appear to be much, but that strange blue light that had emanated from her hands had struck him down effortlessly, making it completely obvious that there was more to her than he had originally assumed.   
  
But that wasn't all, he thought as he waited for the killing blow. Had he been the superstitious sort, he would have been instantly suspicious at the way her clear, blue eyes seemed to capture the attention of his golden ones, leaving him completely unable to look away. So now he sat rather gracelessly, like any sort of menial peasant, on the filthy forest floor staring at the pitiful human who would kill him.   
  
"If you," the girl started, the strange steel in her voice belying the terror her body language screamed, "If you come near Inuyasha, my friends, or this village again... " A flash of something flickered behind her large eyes, but she just shook her head nearly imperceptibly. "I will kill you. I swear to god, I really will kill you myself."   
  
In a blink, the girl was gone, the soft echoing of her words the only sign she had ever been there. Frowning, he looked around and finally noticed the gentle quivering of small, green leaves as a testament to the path on which she had fled.   
  
Instinctively, Sesshoumaru closed his eyes as he inhaled deeply. The scent of her fear was so strong, he could nearly *taste* it even now. But still, she had not cowered and she had not cried out for help that, indeed, would never come. Instead, once she had evidently come to the conclusion no one would come to her rescue, the girl had merely struggled out of his vise-like grip and forced a small, white hand towards his heart. He had watched those unusual blue eyes grow even larger, the black pupils usurping her irises as the strange energy burst from her hands and struck him directly in his heart.   
  
A million thoughts had flooded through his head as he flew through the air, each one more pressing of a burden than he would have ever guessed. Who would now protect the lands of the West from being overrun by inferior youkai? Certainly not his brother, who was currently too busy dallying with useless crystals and humans to see what was indeed happening in the world. Who would ensure that these lands would not become yet another bone of contrition between the greedy youkai lords of the opposing cardinal points? It didn't please him to consider the way his lands would be contested and eventually divvied up among the victors. Then, not to forget, who precisely would take care of Rin now? Jaken wouldn't do it. The fool would undoubtedly either just leave the child stranded or kill it himself. And that simply was not acceptable.   
  
Yet, the human girl had left him alive, essentially free to strike her down at any moment he chose. So certain she must be that she had the power to defeat him!   
  
Would that make her brave or incredibly foolish?   
  
With a growl, he forced himself to his feet. His heart pounding as a rush of adrenaline surged through his body, Sesshoumaru started walking towards the tiny village that lay beyond the cover of the forest. It mattered not whether the girl was courageous or an incredible dolt, the youkai lord decided suddenly. The girl had dared to cross him.   
  
And for that, she would die.   
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 1

  
  
**Title:** _Falling Stars_  
**Author:** Celyia (ladycelyia@aol.com)  
**Genre:** Romance  
**Rating:** NC-17  
**Disclaimer:** Rumiko Takahashi owns all. :-)  
**Dedication:** To all of those who enjoy the journey.  
**Note:** Thanks for the welcome back, guys. I can't tell you how happy you've made me! By the bye, I think what I'm going to do is start chopping up the chapters a little to make them shorter. That way, I can post shorter chapters more frequently instead of posting long chapters once in a while. I suspect this may help keep me motivated :-) (Especially since yesterday during work, I wrote out a 15 page outline for this story.)   
  
Oh, I've added on three years to the journey so Kagome's actually legal age. Please overlook the obvious inconsistencies of this.   
  
Just a mild warning for those who are new to my writing style- contrary to popular belief, this really is an NC-17, but mine are usually pretty tame. I can't write action and I seriously can't write sex scenes. Now ask me if that keeps me from trying. : )   
  
By the bye, don't expect any sex scenes for a while because the focus is on the story and not the sex.   
  
Thanks!   
  
-Cel.   
  
  


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**Chapter 1**   
  
At least ten minutes had passed, but still, she couldn't keep her hands from shaking.   
  
Kagome leaned against the tree, her head tilted back as a chill breath of wind caressed her face. She should feel elation, but the only emotions nagging at her heart were fear and the most damnable sense of guilt.   
  
She could have killed him. The funny thing, Kagome admitted as she closed her eyes, is that she probably should have. Who knows how many lives the youkai would take now?   
  
But it hadn't been so simple.   
  
Exhaling loudly, the frustration nagging at the corners of her lips until they dropped in a forbidding grimace, Kagome shot a quick, uncertain look back towards the forest.   
  
It had all started off so innocuously- the way the sun had glittered down as she had walked slowly through the forest, lost in her own thoughts as she made her way from the Bone-Eater's Well back to the village.   
  
That's where Sesshoumaru had first grabbed her arm, his grip so tight that she didn't need to look beneath her flimsy white cotton sleeves to know she was bruised.   
  
She would never be quite sure what had happened next, but when her veil of confusion lifted, she had an arrow aimed at the youkai's heart. A part of her screamed inside, her own chest hurting as she recalled the pain of watching his golden eyes.   
  
Of watching the realisation of his impending death, the regret which had narrowed the pale lids, and finally, seeing his eyes soften in resignation even as he raised his chin haughtily; a defiant taunt for her to do her worst.   
  
The youkai had never seemed so incredibly human or so strangely noble.   
  
Kagome exhaled sharply, amazed she could ever associate that word with a cold-blooded killer, but she couldn't manage to brush the thought away. For the first time in the three years since she met him, he no longer seemed to be the black and white monster she had accustomed herself to expect.   
  
_I'm not a moron,_ she thought as she felt the sun embrace her face, a part of her stealing the warmth to still the shivers that seemed intent to possess her body. _I know he could have killed me at any time. So why did he choose to accept to die instead of killing me?_   
  
To Kagome, that insinuated that her companion's older brother had a sense of honour, twisted as it may be. For the first time, Sesshoumaru seemed like a real person… one who, perhaps if things had been different, maybe have been something like Inuyasha. Or perhaps, Inuyasha could have been like him.   
  
Biting her lip to stop the moan from escaping her throat, Kagome winced as she considered it. How could she kill Inuyasha's only brother? Estranged or not, she had noticed on several occasions the way the hanyou had puffed up with a pride he tried desperately to hide when word of another of Sesshoumaru's feats came to ear.   
  
Like the time when the army of bandits had rampaged through several villages nearby right before the first time she met the youkai. Evidently, Sesshoumaru had single-handedly decimated the band of rapists and pillagers until only one teenage boy had been left alive and given the strict orders to inform everyone what would happen if they dare mess with the Western Lord's property and peasants.   
  
Kagome had previously attributed this tale and those like it to pure propaganda circulated by the youkai or his retainer to ensure his popularity with his people, for he was definitely well-respected (if not feared) by those of the Western Lands. Certainly she believed him capable of committing atrocities, but she didn't exactly see him doing it out of a need to protect his people.   
  
But now, she wondered differently.   
  
_Oh, stop it,_ she told herself firmly as she came to her feet. _You are romanticizing him now. Those of honour wouldn't try to kill their own brother or innocent young girls from another time,_ Kagome reminded herself. And Sesshoumaru was quite guilty on both charges.   
  
_He's evil._   
  
_And Inuyasha must be told about this._   
  
Kagome sighed as she sat back down beneath the tree. Blowing her straggly bangs out of her eyes with an impatient exhale, Kagome looked towards the sky. Night would fall upon a new moon soon.   
  
All she needed was a testosterone-crazed and completely human Inuyasha to try to hunt down his brother because he was too pig-headed to admit his own limits. No, she thought as she pulled her chilled hands inside her sleeves, she would tell him when he was back to normal and able to defend himself.   
  
With a quite unladylike snort and roll of the eyes, Kagome looked towards the heavens in impatience as her thoughts jumped back and forth from both completely intolerable creatures on her mind.   
  
"Men."   
  


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Response to reviews:  
  
**Steph-** Your review made me giggle in delight! I'm glad you liked it :-)  
**LadyRissa-** Thanks! :-) Yeah, this is definitely a Sesshoumaru-centred fic. I hope you like what comes next!  
**Vernal Equinox-** Great name! And you do such a great job for boosting my ego! Thanks! *bounces around like a loon*  
**Voldersnort-** As to whether this is Kagome/Sess fic... *grin* you tell me. ;-) I think, though, you'll like where it goes.  
**Anonymous-** Oh, my dear anonymous reviewer! Thank you! :-)   
**Jessy-** *BOUNCE* Thanks! I'm usually not very good on details but I'll try to remember to write more because you like em. :-)   
**Lightning-** Woo! I'm so glad you like it. (And isn't logging in just so annoying???)  
**Falara-** Sorry about the cliffhanger. *GRIN* No, I'm not. Especially since the cliff is still hanging. *innocent look* And I'm so happy to see all the Sess/Ka fics lately! That's sooooo cool.  
**Sakura-** What an incredibly sweet review! I don't think anyone has ever made me feel as cool as you just did. Thanks :-) As for Inuchan... *innocent look* guess you'll have to keep reading to see exactly what kind of hell a bored fanfic writer can put him through. :-)   
**Rymsie-** That coming from one of the coolest people on this site means a lot. Thanks!   
**Sandy-** Yeah. There is a lot of chapters coming up. I mean, a *lot*.  
**PN-** Glad you think it's interesting. :-) The NC-17 is pretty limited though, but there will be enough to put this story in that catergory. Don't expect anything for another few chapters and even *that* won't be that intense.  
**Archaic Tears-** Trust da author. :-) As for Demonheart, that one is currently being revised. A new chapter should be uploaded fairly soon.  
**Sarina-chan** *GRIN* I'm so glad you think I kept them in character. That's what I worry about, especially considering I have a sex scene or two coming up and keeping *that* in character is gonna be a bitch. Hope I don't disappoint you! Thanks! :-)   
  
  



	3. Chapter 2

**Title:** Falling Stars  
**Author:** Celyia (ladycelyia@aol.com)  
**Genre:** Romance  
**Disclaimer:** Rumiko Takahashi still owns all. :-)   
**Dedication:** To all those who enjoy the journey.  
**Note:** Okay, I caved in. :-) Against my better judgement, I'm marking this instead as a PG-13 for now. Hope this makes things less confusing.  
  
This chapter, which is a little longer, branches the story out. Sorry if things are a bit slower but I hope to make it up to you by getting Chapter 3 up sometime this weekend. :-) Let me know what you think! Thanks!  
  
-Cel.  
  


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**Chapter 2**   
  
The hanyou Inuyasha had many intriguing qualities, but psychic insight, unfortunately, wasn't one of them.   
  
Perhaps if the gods were a bit more manageable and a hell of a lot less contrary, he would have received some sort of warning about the events that would soon happen so he could have prevented them. But fickle Fate had apparently decided to play havoc with the young hanyou's life, so instead of hunting down Kagome like he would have at any other time, he ended up perched on a sturdy branch high in the Sacred Tree, his eyes closed as he awaited his shame.   
  
And truly, the night of the new moon was the most damnably embarrassing time of them all.   
  
Ignoring the chill wind that whispered across his face, Inuyasha opened his eyes and gazed out across the quiet forest. The brilliant hues of the dying sun caressed the land, melting the deep greens of the flora into a shroud of subdued reds and oranges. The view, had he been inclined to notice such things, was breathtaking, but the young warrior only had one thing on his mind.   
  
His sense of smell had already been stolen away.   
  
_Well, maybe it wasn't completely gone,_ he amended grouchily as he shifted his weight. _But it's pretty damn close to it._   
  
"How do humans fucking put up with this?" Inuyasha growled, his fingers pushing and pulling at his nose, as if the manipulation would return his demon-amplified senses instead of merely making it red and sore.   
  
He hated that part. Several hours before the rising of the new moon, he could feel the changes in his body begin. Ears that normally swiveled flexibly as they searched to pick up any stray sounds were suddenly made immobile. The claws he counted on to be as sharp and strong as ten individual daggers, would weaken and bend. And most of all, the sense of smell that allowed him to identify not only the location of his allies but his myriad of enemies as well, from even a mile away, would dissipate away until nothing was left but the inferior human senses.   
  
Though he would never admit to it, but it was on nights such as these that he was relieved that Kagome had insisted Shippou join their group. The child youkai, with his intense adoration of the teenage girl, would never allow anything to ever happen to her. His senses, unmarred by dulling humanity, would be able to discern threats that Inuyasha couldn't.   
  
And that was the hardest thing to come to terms with. The idea that a mere child, youkai or not, could be more useful in insuring everything was the way it should be than he was pounded his already wounded ego into smithereens.   
  
Growling as he waited for the transformation to finish, Inuyasha glanced back towards the village. In his mind's eye, he could see Kagome, in her strange clothing, playing happily with the kitsune. He could just imagine Shippou's happy giggles as the child would throw his tiny body, again, straight into Kagome's waiting arms.   
  
He could see Kagome's motherly smile, perfect and loving, as she held Shippou tightly, maybe even smothering the child's head with a dozen of sweet kisses. In fact, Inuyasha was willing to bet that the two never even noticed his absence. Growling as a sudden depression started to overtake him, the dog hanyou slouched as he leaned against the scratchy bark. It was all Shippou's fault, anyway. If the dumb youkai hadn't stirred up all that maternal instinct crap that Kagome had been going through lately, the girl would be here, seeing to him right now. But instead, he had been completely forgotten.   
  
With a coarse laugh, Inuyasha looked down at the long straggle of black hair that tumbled over the front of his chest. Fine. Maybe he was a human now, he thought as he pushed the reprehensible thing back over his shoulder, but soon he wouldn't be.   
  
And tomorrow, Inuyasha thought with an evil grin, he'd make sure Shippou knew it too.   
  
  


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Shippou ran across the meadow, not bothering to hide his grin as he saw Kagome's slender, elegant figure sitting against a particularly tall apple tree.   
  
"Kagome!" he called out, hiding a frown as he looked the girl over. Something was definitely different tonight. Her startling blue eyes, usually so filled with kindness and humour, were strangely darkened by some foreign emotion as she turned her penetrating gaze towards him.   
  
Without a word, she opened her arms, her lips curving into a gentle smile as he flung himself at her. Her hands, icy from the night air, cupped his head gently as she pulled him deep within a tight embrace.   
  
His momentary apprehension forgotten, Shippou lost himself in the softness of her touch and the strong, steady pounding of her heart. No one hugged better than Kagome, he decided suddenly, his eyes closed as he silently compared Kagome's touch to that of Sango's and Kaede's. There was just something incredibly comforting about the girl.   
  
As he inhaled her scent deeply, Shippou didn't bother fighting the smile that instantly usurped his lips. His real mother, who had been gone for such a long time that she was nothing more than a shadow of a memory, must have smelled like Kagome. It was the scent of warm hugs and impromptu kisses on the cheek and that incredible, overwhelming feeling of being loved.   
  
In his best dreams, the ones that came so rarely but were worth risking the nightmares that normally plagued him at night, he had a family again. His father, tall and proud, would be standing by him, his callused hand resting lovingly upon the young kitsune's shoulder as they waited for Mother to meet them.   
  
And then, Mother would enter- with her beautiful face so animated with a loving sort of laughter and her eyes bright with intelligence. Her hand, small and white, would reach gracefully towards her husband until their fingers brushing against one another, entwined by a shared love. Then, with a gentle smile, she would turn the full-strength of her blue eyes upon her child as her arms would welcome him into her heart. And he would nuzzle his face into her striking black hair, thinking he couldn't possibly ever be happier. That is, until he would feel his father's strong arms pull both mother and child into his arms, shielding them from the horrors of the world.   
  
Sighing contentedly, Shippou looked up into the girl's face. _Wonder what she's looking at_, he thought as he followed her view.   
  
"It's such a beautiful night, ne?" the girl asked, her voice softer than what he was used to.   
  
The kitsune nodded automatically as he looked up, his head tilting slightly as he examined the twinkling stars as they rested so innocuously upon the black velvet night. He guessed it was okay, if you liked that sort of thing, but he didn't have the heart to risk hurting her by admitting that caveat aloud.   
  
"Yeah," he mumbled as he snuggled deeply into her arms. A sudden wave of comfort flooded over him as he felt her arms tighten affectionately around his small body. Content to stay in her arms as long as she would allow him, Shippou returned his attention back to the sky.   
  
And there they sat, each taking comfort from the other's presence even as their eyes feasted upon the dark glory of the heavens.   
  
  


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Response to reviews:  
  
**Steph-**: You are so cute! :-) I'm glad you so far like the way Kagome's been. Let's just hope you like what happens to her in the future, too. :-)  
**Brooke-**: Yes, ma'am! *grin* Coming right up!  
**Bakabaka-**: *attempts to say the name fast and only sounds like Fozzie the Bear with Donald Duck's speech impediment* Thanks! Hopefully this won't disappoint!  
**Rama Inverse-**: Ranma, m'dear! It's been too long! Sorry about just disappearing on you before but I was acting like a spoiled brat. *claims temporary sanity* Though, I'm proud to say the insanity has returned. Oh, world, beware. :-) Thanks for always being so supportive, hon. I can't tell you how much your review means to me. :-) And dammit, you *never* talk too much!  
**The Angry Generalization**: Names like yours make me regret going with something as blase as Celyia. :-) *grin* Took your advice. With any luck, we'll corrupt some poor souls and turn them to the dark side! Muahaha.  
**Stormlight**: Don't think there could *ever* be enough Sess/Kagome fics. :-) But it's been cool to notice that in the last month, the number on FF.net has grown big time. Thanks! *bounce* Gotta admit, you just totally pumped up my ego. Better watch out or else I'll be completely intolerable. Thanks again!  
**Lexly**: Thanks! Hang in there. Gotta go through the motions of having IY and Shippou in there, at least. (God knows what I'll do with Sango and Miroku when the time comes) But there is a big Sesshoumaru chapter coming up. Hope you enjoy that!  
**Sammy-chan**: *grin* Don't think anyone has ever told me I wrote something funny. That's cool. :-) Hope you find the new rating less intimidating! Thanks!  
**Voldersnort**: Your wish is my command. *grin* Maybe. *innocent look* And I'm deliiiighted to know you like this! *bounce* Thanks!  
**Fushigi-heart**: Thank you! :-) That I will!  
  



	4. Chapter 3

**Title:** Falling Stars  
**Author:** Celyia (ladycelyia@aol.com)  
**Genre:** Romance  
**Disclaimer:** Rumiko Takahashi still owns all. :-)   
**Dedication:** To all those who enjoy the journey.  
**Note:** Ack! I was so intent on getting the last chapter out that I made several grammar mistakes. Ooops. Sorry about that. *grin* Okay, here's the starting of several Sesshoumaru chapters. Wonder what he's been doing for the last few since Kagome knocked him down? Starting next chapter (not this one!), things will start (hopefully!) getting good.   
  
*grin* Thanks! Hope you like! -Cel.  
  


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**Chapter 3**  
  
  
  
It was simply amazing that some disagreeable peasant, irate with his station in life, hadn't killed them.   
  
With an eyebrow raised in amusement, he peered through the brilliant green foliage upon his unwary victims. Only fools and children would feel safe in an age such as this, especially so far from the protection of the village.   
  
Although his dealings with the human girl were fortunately few and far between, he had to admit that he was a bit surprised at her level of stupidity. For a human, he had previously believed that she had shown herself to have a modicum of ingenuity at times, if not to be downright clever.   
  
Obviously, he had been too generous in his appraisal of her intelligence.   
  
Barely repressing a snort as he watched the youkai child nuzzle its face into her neck, Sesshoumaru continued to bide his time. It galled him to stand in the shadows, in the cover of the trees and shrubs, waiting for the child to leave. But it didn't take a mind reader to see that the kitsune was clearly attached to the girl.   
  
He growled slightly as he watched the touching scene, anger starting to well up in his chest as he watched the girl plant an impromptu kiss on the child's head. Undoubtedly, if he even tried harming the girl, he would be forced to kill the kitsune first.   
  
And that just didn't sit well with the youkai. Banishing the sudden image of a gap-toothed little girl out of his mind's eye, Sesshoumaru absently brushed a lock of silver hair off of his forehead. Killing children was beneath him, he decided. And therefore, he'd take this inconvenience as an opportunity to study his opponent.   
  
Frowning as he examined her from a distance, Sesshoumaru shifted his weight to rest on the balls of his feet as he waited silently. Her lack of security was somewhat disappointing, he admitted as he watched the girl point towards one of the stars in the sky, but it wasn't something unexpected.   
  
After all, his brother was too busy concentrating on the offense that he never bothered to make sure that his rear was covered and his wench was undoubtedly the same way. It was a standard mistake by inexperienced warriors, Sesshoumaru had noticed. But it was one that they either lived through and learned from or, at the worst, never had the opportunity to regret. An inexperienced warrior. And this was the creature that had defeated him.   
  
He rocked back and forth, the energy and the will to attack the girl where she sat nearly overwhelming. With a deep, measured breath, Sesshoumaru willed the return of his control. She and the kitsune child were completely oblivious to his presence and as long as that held true, he could study her at will.   
  
Perhaps he would even discover whether it was luck or truly skill that defeated him.   
  
His face impassive, the youkai lord moved forward, intent on staying upwind of the kitsune's powerful nose. With measured steps, each one soundless though swift, he took position in a sprawl of trees just to their left.   
  
If they had the survival instinct of a newborn cub, the youkai thought disparagingly as he listened to the soft murmur of their voices, they would have noticed him standing just beyond the trees. But instead, they went merrily on in their ignorance, oblivious to the predator who stood in a flurry of white and blue silks.   
  
A part of him envied them in their innocence, envied the way that they sat beneath the broad branches of the apple tree, safe and content in their folly. Even as a child, he had no such refuge. He had no mother's arms to hold him, no mother's voice to lie, to tell him things would be all right even when they both knew it wouldn't be. The experience had formed him, shaped him until he was capable of carrying the entire welfare and concerns of a people he never learned to like upon his back until the inevitable day where he would step down and his child would take his place. A child that he would eventually raise just as he was, with no coddling and a firm knowledge of what was out there in the world.   
  
Certainly it was the more intelligent way to live, he thought as he watched the girl turn a small, crooked smile upon the kitsune. But for one confusing, overwhelming second as he watched the child's face light up, Sesshoumaru wasn't certain if it was the best way.   
  
With a vengeance, he pushed the thoughts out of his mind as he took a step closer to the two. It was time to stop hesitating and let Fate takes its course, he thought as he forced himself to ignore the way his heart seemed to clench at the idea. Certainly he was powerful enough to knock the child unconscious long enough to defeat the girl.   
  
He frowned suddenly, the look forbidding and almost violent as his thoughts replayed the day's earlier events. There was something odd about this girl, he decided as he strained his ears to listen to her words. And before he walked into battle again, he would discover what that was.   
  
  
  


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Response to reviews:   
  
**Steph**: Wow. You've been the first to review every time. I bow to your incredible timing. :-) And if you were Shippou-like, we'd all be running around calling you kaaawwwaaaaiii! You'll just have to settle for "Aw! She's soooo cute!". Yup. Sess is still out there. I guess you could say he's taking his time to stalk his prey. :-)  
**Voldersnort**: Doesn't that suck? :-) I suppose she's been busy and all with the latest things coming up in the manga, but really! Can one really resist something so *cough* kawaiiii? :-) Glad you liked it. Funny thing was that I had no intention of even involving Shippou until I was writing chapter 4 last night.  
**Bel-chan**: I'm glad you like! Hope you like what's coming up!  
**Stormlight**: Eeeek. Is Inuyasha acting bratty? :-) I was just *cough*filling space*cough* trying to put another perspective out there... *innocent look* And maybe that wasn't just your cheerios after all. :-) Thanks!  
**Lightning**: You got it! :-) Don't worry. I don't think he'll allow himself to be forgotten for very long. :-)   
**Brooke**: Thanks! Hope you don't get bored with the slowness of the pace, though. I'm starting to worry about that. But luckily I can honestly say that some extremely ... *ahem* well, you'll have to wait around to see what happens next chapter.  
  
Thanks all!  
  



	5. Chapter 4

**Title:** Falling Stars  
**Author:** Celyia (ladycelyia@aol.com)  
**Genre:** Romance  
**Disclaimer:** Rumiko Takahashi continues to own all. :-)   
**Dedication:** To all those who enjoy the journey.  
**Note:** Okay. Excuse me while I hide. *blush* Please try not to throw stones! Next chapter is better! I promise! (I hope) *blush*  
  
-Cel.  
  


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**Chapter 4**  
  
  
  
Kagome could no longer contain the giggle that had been tickling in her throat as she listened to Shippou explain matters, as they stood, to her.   
  
"What did I say?" the child asked, his auburn eyebrows knitted together in vexation as he waited for the girl to explain her rudeness.   
  
"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking of our own legends, Shippou-chan…"   
  
"Legends, huh," Shippou grinned as he shook his head slowly. Affectionately, he laid his head upon her chest to soften the impact of his next words. "Dumb humans give legends, but youkai tell the truth."   
  
She nodded sagely, trying to bite the smile that seemed to be impatient to come out to play.   
  
"A smart youkai, though, probably knows all the legends that the humans tell," Kagome grinned as Shippou gave her a completely skeptical look.   
  
"Feh," the child declared, sounding so much like the dog hanyou that Shippou claimed to hate that Kagome had to hide her sudden laughter behind the façade of a cough. "No smart youkai would waste his time learning something that wasn't true."   
  
Kagome smiled archly at the child as she pulled a blanket out of her backpack. Her manner amused, she quietly tucked the blanket around Shippou's tiny body even as she formulated the answer for the question she knew would come up.   
  
"Thanks."   
  
"You're welcome, Shippou-chan."   
  
The kitsune, his lower lip thrust out in an infantile pout, tilted his head as he looked up at Kagome's face.   
  
"Um. I was thinking…"   
  
"Yeah, Shippou-chan?"   
  
"Why," the child started, his voice begrudging yet filled with a curiousity that no longer could be suppressed, "would a smart youkai bother to learn all the human legends if they weren't real?"   
  
"That," the girl responded as she leaned down to whisper confidentially into the furry ear, "is a good question."   
  


* * *

  
  
It was quite a good question indeed, Sesshoumaru admitted grudgingly as he leaned against the smooth, nearly black bark of the tree.   
  
With a shrug, he turned his attention to the girl, only to be taken off guard by the brightness of her sudden smile and the intelligence in her eyes. In truth, they were quite ordinary eyes, Sesshoumaru decided even as he found himself unable to pull his gaze away from the shining blue orbs.   
  
"What more convenient way to find out how someone thinks?" the girl started softly, her voice even and logical. "By listening to the stories they hold dear, you get to know a part of them. Maybe even understand why they do things a certain way," she said smoothly, as if she had been expecting the question.   
  
Sesshoumaru's habitual frown deepened as he realised he had been leaning slightly closer to hear the softly spoken words. Jerking back in disgust with himself, he quietly straightened his clothing to distract himself from the nonsense, even as his rebellious ears swiveled to hear more.   
  
"Yeah," the kitsune replied, sounding completely bored.   
  
The girl just laughed, the sound abrasive to his sensitive ears but oddly musical. "Okay, I see you are going to need an example here. How about this: what if I were to tell you where I come from, there were people who believed that the stars in the sky were actually their gods who have taken form?"   
  
"Every moron knows that they are the souls of the dead in the heavens," the kitsune huffed, his eyes rolling at the girl's ignorance.   
  
"But what does that tell you about the people?"   
  
"They were stupid?"   
  
Surprisingly, the girl didn't seem to get upset at the child's remarks. Instead, she just tapped the tips of the kitsune's nose playfully.   
  
"Is that all it tells you Shippou-chan?" she asked, her voice low and sounding almost a little disappointed.   
  
"No," Shippou responded immediately, his eyes searching her finely structured face for any clue on what the answer should be. "It tells me that … they believed in gods?"   
  
The girl clapped her hands together in joy, the sound sudden and abrupt as it echoed through the night.   
  
"Exactly! And now you know that, what else can you tell me?"   
  
"Um. This is weird?"   
  
Silently, unwittingly, Sesshoumaru agreed with the child's prognosis.   
  
"And…?"   
  
"Um. That you shouldn't go messing with their gods?" the child shrugged his tiny shoulders as he looked at the girl curiously.   
  
"Perfect," the girl praised, bringing a small, begrudging smile to Shippou's face. "Now you know that if you were ever to visit these people, you may just find that one of the best ways to get along with them is to try to respect their gods."   
  
It was an intriguing idea, Sesshoumaru admitted as he watched the kitsune's lack of interest in the girl's unconventional wisdom. But, the youkai lord amended as the child's head lifted towards the skies, it remains to be seen if there is anything to the supposition.   
  
"Gods, huh," the kitsune spoke suddenly.   
  
"Yeah. It is kinda weird, isn't it?"   
  
"Yeah. Your mom and dad don't believe … " Shippou broke off suddenly, his words as halting as if a glass of ice water had been poured upon his vocal cords.   
  
"Shippou? What's wrong?" the girl asked, the concern in her voice evident even to Sesshoumaru.   
  
"The Thunde…"   
  
"Shippou-chan, that wasn't them."   
  
"But you saw it!" the kitsune insisted, his paw reaching towards the sky even as he bounded off the girl's lap. "That was them!"   
  
The girl shook her head even as she grabbed onto the child's shoulders firmly. "I promise you, Shippou. That wasn't them. Haven't you ever seen a falling star before?"   
  
Shippou shook his head even as his gaze turned towards the safety of the village. The demon lord wrinkled his nose, disgusted by the strong smell of fear emanating from the kitsune.   
  
"C'mere," she said sweetly even as her arms pulled the child into her lap. "Close your eyes."   
  
"I don't wanna," Shippou complained even as his pale lids fluttered closed.   
  
"Now make a wish. But don't say it out loud!" the girl smiled, the nearly tangible sense of peace written on her face strangely alluring.   
  
"Okay."   
  
"Good," she murmured, her voice as light as the spring breeze. "See, not everyone sees a falling star so when you do, it means you get to make a wish."   
  
"Um. Done," the little boy proclaimed as he hopped off the girl's lap. With a twist of her well-shaped lips, the girl tossed the kitsune an affronted look. "I'm gonna go… "   
  
The girl nodded slowly, an amused look in her eye as she tucked the blanket around her body. "You better go tell Inuyasha to make a wish," she said softly. "You never know when he'll get the chance again."   
  
The kitsune smiled, exhaling a sigh of relief as he realised the girl understood. "Yeah. I better. He'll mess it up if I don't tell him how it's done. C'mon."   
  
Frowning harshly as a surge of ironic laughter rushed through his chest, Sesshoumaru watched as the girl just shook her head at the kitsune's rather transparent bid. So the girl's loyal little kitsune had more faith in Inuyasha's fighting skills than her own.   
  
Interesting turn of events, he thought, a delicate black eyebrow arching as he watched her passive reaction.   
  
"I'll be there in a few minutes, Shippou-chan. I just want to look for another falling star."   
  
Shippou looked a bit dubious at the girl's words but only shrugged.   
  
"You won't be long?"   
  
"I'll be right there," the girl smiled, her eyes large and luminous in the starlight. White lids, heavily fringed with thick, silky lashes, fluttered closed as she raised her face towards the heavens.   
  
Exhaling suddenly as he forced his gaze from the unfortunately beguiling woman, Sesshoumaru turned his attention towards the child who bounded so innocently away.   
  
He stood there silently, unwilling to admit the uncertainty he felt deep inside as he saw the child disappear from view. It seemed just so… base to kill the woman right here when the child could come back at any second.   
  
With a glance towards the girl, whose dark head now rested against the thick trunk of the tree lazily, Sesshoumaru hesitated in the shadows. Certainly he had nothing to lose by postponing the inevitable just moments more.   
  
It would have been exhilarating, his traitorous mind decided as he watched the girl commune with the darkness, to finally have met a worthy foe. Unable to restrain his short laugh as he looked the girl over, Sesshoumaru berated himself for giving her that much credit.   
  
After listening to her talk, he was never more certain that her victory earlier had been merely a fluke. That, of course, didn't repeal her impending doom but it was oddly comforting in its own way. Humans were weak, demons were strong, and he? He was the most powerful of them all.   
  
Yes. For the first time in several hours, all was right in the world.   
  
Unbidden, a merciless smile played almost fearfully about his lips as he stalked towards her, waiting to hear the shriek of fear she'd utter as she realised her pitiful and meaningless human life was at an end.   
  
But the half-smile melted away as no reaction came.   
  
Frowning, he nudged the girl's leg with his shoe.   
  
Grumbling as she pushed the delicately shod foot away with a determined hand, the woman turned her back towards the pissed off youkai and pulled the blanket over her head. With a contented sigh muffled by the thick layer of wool, the petite brunette fell back into the peace of the deeply unconscious.   
  
  
  


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Response to reviews:   
  
**Steph**: Eeek! Sorry to disappoint! Hopefully you won't mind too much what happens. :-)  
**Winter**: Thanks! Wow. Go ahead and make me blush, will you! Thanks again!  
**Brooke**: Yes, ma'am! This one may take a little while to finish (if only due to length), but as I've already written the last couple chapters, I don't see finishing it to be a problem. :-)  
**Waku-chan**: Thank you! Hope you like!  
**Alyson**: Sounds kind of omnious to me. Hope that's an "Oooo" of approval. :-)  
  
Thanks, guys!  
  



	6. Chapter 5

  
  
**Title:** Falling Stars  
**Author:** Celyia (ladycelyia@aol.com)  
**Genre:** Romance  
**Disclaimer:** Rumiko Takahashi owns the whole damn empire.  
**Dedication:** To those who enjoy the journey.:-)   
**Note:** Okay, there is only one or two chapters left to this part before the real confusion begins. :-) I'm going to try to get all of that out tonight due to the fact that I really won't have much time to work on it during the week. Hang in there and thanks for sticking with me this long!  
  
By the bye, for those of you interested, I'm a FF.net subscriber which means you can sign up to get notice when I update. :-)  
  
-Cel.  
  


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**Chapter 5**   
  
  
He crouched down next to her, his long silver hair falling carelessly on her sleeping form. Goose pimples arose along the pallid lengths of her arms and uncovered legs, but the girl showed no other signs of stirring.   
  
Hardening his stare, Sesshoumaru glared unceasingly at the girl's covered head, waiting her reaction as she woke up to discover a shadow hovering over her.   
  
And he waited.   
  
Growling slightly as the girl started snoring softly, Sesshoumaru considered killing her right then and there.   
  
Shaking off the sudden surge of anger that rushed through his body, the youkai lord instead nudged the girl, none too gently, in the ribs.   
  
A slight growl came from her throat, filled with an annoyance that was nearly tangible even as she pulled her legs up to her chest.   
  
Barely restraining the sigh of impatience that tried to escape from his mouth, Sesshoumaru grabbed at the multi-coloured blanket and pulled harshly at it, exposing the nearly indecently clothed body to the chill night air.   
  
He tilted his head, mesmerized momentarily by the way his silver hair fell and merged with her midnight tresses. Frowning as he realized the poetic turn of thought, Sesshoumaru quickly nudged the young woman on her thinly clothed shoulder.   
  
"Girl. Cease that infernal racket this instant and face me," he intoned, his voice strong and authoritative even as he realized she was in too deep of a sleep to respond.   
  
"Girl. I, Sesshoumaru… oh, hell, you cannot hear a word I am saying, can you?" the youkai muttered, his voice taut with the frustration that he was careful to never let anyone hear. "Stupid, useless human."   
  
With an impatient huff, Sesshoumaru examined the girl's face intently. Completely dead to the world. In fact, he was willing to even make a wager that he even if he had brought the incessantly quarrelling Jaken and Rin along, the girl would have still slept through it.   
  
Suddenly uneasy by the amusement deep in his chest that the idea sparked, Sesshoumaru swung his golden eyes away from the slumbering woman to the strange black sack she carried with her everywhere.   
  
He closed his eyes as he inhaled the scent deeply, frowning as he noted his brother's scent marking the cool, worn leather. Curiously, he pressed a claw against the silver latch, only to feel his eyebrows raise of their own accord as the latch clicked open. Dipping a hand into the strangely strapped sack, Sesshoumaru pulled out the item closest to the top.   
  
Frowning as he examined the book with an expert eye, he opened the front cover only to watch a thin piece of paper (formed and cut to a magically consistent precision) fall upon his lap. Quietly, he lifted the paper to his nose and inhaled. Her scent was all over it.   
  
With a curious tilt of the head, he examined the paper carefully, only to bite down no small amusement as he recognized the unwilling subject who had been imprisoned so amateurishly upon the small scroll.   
  
She obviously had a terrible eye for proportions, he decided, feeling oddly better at this proof of her incompetence. But proportions asunder or not, he still had no problem identifying the owner of the furry ears and nearly maniacal glower.   
  
In all his peevishness and attitude, the girl had faultlessly captured Inuyasha's personality.   
  
Overriding the sudden instinct to chuckle by frowning, Sesshoumaru carefully tucked the paper back into the book, only to pause in shock as he finally caught the contents of the book.   
  
Sums? Not merely sums, but advanced sums?   
  
This rather insignificant female was a mistress of sums?   
  
Growling uneasily as he leaned over her, Sesshoumaru searched her face for any sign of advanced intellect or genius but his golden eyes seemed only capable of perceiving that which they always did- a small woman with finely chiseled features that the uneducated may call beautiful if they were unfamiliar with the precepts of taste. Obviously her eyes were too big and her dark eyebrows weren't arched enough, he thought as he examined her face.   
  
Her mouth was unusual, though, Sesshoumaru admitted as his attention seemed to focus on the plump, pink lips that were parted ever so slightly in her sleep. Before the thought had even passed through the thrumming grey matter in his head, his sharp claw was suddenly tracing the outline of her lower lip, the motion slow and gentle. Golden eyes widened almost comically as he realized his folly and the youkai pushed himself back, only to glare angrily at the wench with the bewitching mouth.   
  
His heart pounding so loudly that he would have sworn it was audible, Sesshoumaru pulled himself up to his feet. With a demeanor of angry pride, the youkai slowly extended the claws upon his right hand until a soft, glowing mist of green emanated from the tips.   
  
It was time to end this, he told himself firmly as he stepped towards the girl. Pushing aside the brief flare of regret as he looked upon her innocent face, Sesshoumaru thrust out his chin even as he reached to slash her to shreds.   
  
The sudden noise startled him, the beads of sweat that had seemed to spontaneously form upon the flat of his forehead were sent flaring out into the air as he jumped back away from his senseless victim.   
  
"The child," he muttered as he looked towards the village. The intruder was approaching fast and furious, Sesshoumaru realized as he leapt up into the tree high above the girl's head. Certainly it was one thing to kill the girl, but it was another thing all together to do it in front of the child who loved her.   
  
Unable to restrain the frustrated sigh at the latest interruption, Sesshoumaru peered down through the ungainly leaves to watch the newest scene in this comedy of errors unfold.   
  
  


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Response to Reviews:   
  
**Stormlight**: Thanks! :-) Hopefully I didn't carry the joke on too long! Hope you liked this chapter!  
**Steph**: You slacker you. :-) j/k. Oh, don't try to make sense out of this BS. You'll end up going insane :-) I mean, according to this story, Kagome's already graduated high school, so why the hell is she still wearing her junior high uniform? There is a lot in here that doesn't make sense. I'll try to fix all that stuff up when I revise but of course, I won't revise til I actually finish the story. :-)  
**Tegasus**: Woo! I hope you still like it. :-) Thanks so much!  
**Rymsie**: I don't think there could possibly be a nicer compliment. I can't tell you how neat it is to receive one of your reviews. You have a way of really making a wannabe fanfic writer's day. Thanks for being so kind. :) Oh, and I'm glad you don't have a problem with me developing things so slowly. I feel a little awkward by continuing this pace, but of course, I'm trying to avoid making any of the romance seem rushed or too forced.  
**Brooke**: Thank you! I wasn't sure about putting the Shippou thing in but in the end, it seemed to work okay. :-) Hope you like the little kitsune because from here on out, he'll be putting in quite a few more appearances.  
**Lightning**: *grin* Thanks. :-) Hmm.. Regarding the formatting, you may want to try uploading in html. If you don't know how to do html, send me an email (my addy is listed in the disclaimer area) and I'll help you. :-)  
**Megami-sama**: Wooooo! Thanks! I'm glad you think so! *bounces around like a maniac* Thanks!  
**Angry Gen**: You are so sweet. :-) Eeek. Hopefully I'm not giving you cavities!! *will try to cut down on the aboundin' cuteness a little* *GRIN* And as for poor Sess, I'm sure he's about as confused as you are. :-)  
**Embyr**: I've made poor Shippou into a really emotionally scarred kid. Poor thing. :-) Oh, well. A little stability *innocent look* in his life may just clear that up. Oh, glad you liked the stars thing. I was worried I let that part go on too long!  
**Ranma Inverse**: You are like my personal cheering section. :-) *grin* Thanks for always making me feel so special, hon. You are the best!  
  
Thanks for your patience, guys!  
  



	7. Chapter 6

**Title:** Falling Stars  
**Author:** Celyia (ladycelyia@aol.com)  
**Genre:** Romance  
**Disclaimer:** Rumiko Takahashi still owns all. :-)   
**Dedication:** To all those who enjoy the journey.  
**Note:** This is the end of the first part. Woo! I'll start the next chapter soon, but that should be up in a few days. Between work and school, I don't think I have the energy to really keep the same pace that I have for the last few days. :-) Let me know what you think of this, eh? Thanks so much!  
  
-Cel.  
  


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**Chapter 6**   
  
  
Her vision blurry with sleep even as she shot to her feet, Kagome looked warily towards the direction of the village. Evil was approaching and approaching fast.  
  
"Inuyasha!" she screamed, knowing she had just mere seconds before all hell broke loose. "There's a shard coming!" One, she thought with a shiver as she looked uneasily away, reeking of a corruption that she was surprised to no one else could feel.   
  
Cursing as only silence ensued, Kagome looked around at her options.   
  
She very well couldn't run back to the village. If she didn't run straight into her would-be assailant, she would end up leading him back into a village full of sleeping people. She had no weapon to make a stand. She couldn't run away into the thick of a forest where trouble reigned, but she couldn't just stay here waiting for help that wouldn't come.   
  
_Why does all the bad stuff choose to happen on the new moon,_ she wondered as she took off in a sprint towards the Bone Eater's Well. Perhaps she could take refuge in her own time? Surely the youkai couldn't follow her there.   
  
Cursing her thinly soled shoes as a sharp stick impaled the bottom of her foot, Kagome forced herself to continue running. Wincing as she leaped over a fallen log, the girl landed unsteadily on her feet.   
  
With a high pierced shriek as her weakened foot twisted suddenly with the pressure, Kagome tripped gracelessly to the forest floor.   
  
In a panic, she looked around, her blue eyes processing her environment.   
  
Lost in concentration as she broke a particular sturdy and sharp branch and hefted it in her hand, Kagome slowly pushed herself up to her feet and watched.   
  
"Inuyasha," she whispered, wishing with all her heart her friends would make a timely entrance. "Come ON and rescue me! I don't want to die here!"   
  
"You won't," a sibilant voice suddenly lisped, its androgynous tones too close to her ears for comfort. "The price is merely the bauble you were around your neck."   
  
Kagome laughed ironically as she wielded the branch in her hands, forcing back her wince as she realised that it was too heavy to hold up for long. "Yeah, uh huh. And I bet you have a bridge you want to sell me, too."   
  
The creature slithered into the light, its myriad of appendages twitching with either amusement or convulsions as it bestowed its single eye upon her.   
  
"I know of no such bridges. In what riddles do you speak, human?"   
  
The girl sighed as she gauged the distance towards the Bone Eaters Well. Closing her eyes as she realised she'd never make it, Kagome turned her attention to the youkai who towered above her.   
  
Normally, it wasn't too difficult to figure out what kind of spirit the youkai had derived its form from, but Kagome frowned as she examined the creature that stood before her. _Perhaps a type of lizard youkai?_ she wondered as she raised the pointed end of the stick towards the single eye.   
  
_No. There was just something wrong with this creature,_ she decided as she examined it carefully. _As if,_ Kagome thought as she watched its amusement at her admittedly poor defense, _it wasn't real in some way._   
  
"Never mind. Get away from me, " she muttered, moving back slowly. Wincing as she pinned herself against a tree, Kagome raised her chin defiantly as she waited for the creature to attack.   
  
"I will NOT die here," she whispered vehemently, her anger flaring through her small body as she readied her impromptu spear. _I will not!_ Kagome grimaced as she watched the youkai move closer, several of its arms waving almost mesmerizingly. _I've faced down bigger and stronger creatures than this before, and I will NOT allow some dumb Godzilla reject to win now!_   
  
The next thing she knew, her stick had been knocked out of her precarious grip and two scaly hands were pinched at her throat while another two pinned her waist to the harsh bark of the tree.   
  
_Man,_ she thought as small, black spots began to mar her vision, _I knew he was lying about letting me go. Dammit._ Wincing more from knowing she would lose consciousness soon than from the pain she felt, Kagome looked the creature in his milky eye.   
  
_No. I will not let this happen!_   
  
Kagome glared defiantly as she brought her knee up hard into the creature's loin-clothed genitals, only to gasp for precious air as it let her go.   
  
"Inuyasha, get over here NOW!" she screamed, taking a perverse delight in the youkai's pain.   
  
"Human bitch," it stuttered, its voice trembling with anger even as it picked up the discarded branch easily. "For that, you will die."   
  
She lifted her chin then, her eyes defiant as she stared him down.   
  
"Are you always this tedious or did I just get lucky?" Kagome asked, not visibly flinching as the youkai aimed the makeshift weapon at her long, slender throat.   
  
Unable to help herself, Kagome closed her eyes, feeling the cold rush of air as the creature jabbed the sharp point at her throat.   
  
_Mom. I'm so sorry. I didn't really think I'd die here._   
  
Startled out of her regrets by a sudden, low grunt, Kagome opened an eye tentatively, only to scream piercingly as the silver hair penetrated her obscured vision. Shuddering as she felt the mad warmth of the strong, solid body pressed protectively against her own, Kagome tried to quell the sudden panic that threatened to overwhelm her very soul.   
  
"Inuyasha," she whispered in horror as her blue eyes focused solely on the stick that protruded from his shoulder and the torrent of blood rushing from it.   
  
Narrow and completely unamused golden eyes looked into her own.   
  
"Must you insist on falling into hysteria? I, Sesshoumaru, might be willing to overlook your tendency, if, that is, you were the one who had been injured…" Sesshoumaru's voice grumbled wryly even as he plucked the branch from his body, as if it were nothing more than a toothpick.   
  
"Naraku," the lesser youkai muttered, its face pasty as it took a step back. "I failed."   
  
_Naraku? What the hell?_   
  
"No! Don't kill it!" Kagome screamed, only to wince as the youkai lord ripped the creature's scaly body in half with merely his claws. _Too late,_ she thought as the remains fell to the ground in pieces. Sighing, she scooped the blackened shard from the creature's chest, only to cringe as the body melted away into oblivion.   
  
"Now we'll never know what Naraku is up to," the girl muttered, absently stuffing the shard into her pocket.   
  
Suddenly remembering she wasn't alone, the girl turned wide eyes towards the silent man, only to be startled by his close proximity. Shaking her head as she tried to relieve the sudden fear she felt deep in her very bones, Kagome shrugged helplessly.   
  
"Naraku," she offered, hoping the one word would be enough to explain her distraction.   
  
The youkai lord stared unceasingly at her, his eyes narrowed in hostility even as the wound on his shoulder wept red tears. And then, it all hit her with the force of a speeding garbage truck.   
  
_Sesshoumaru injured himself to save me?_ she wondered in awe, her mouth pulling into despair as she noticed the blood rushing from the wound just below his right clavicle. The tears welled up in her eyes as the youkai nonchalantly pressed a white fist against the wound, his golden eyes, so like his brother's, watching her reaction carefully.   
  
"I'm sorry," she whispered, hating the feeling of helplessness that washed over her even as she forced herself to step forward. Without thinking, Kagome pulled the red tie free from the front of her old school uniform and held it out to him. "Please. It's clean."   
  
The youkai looked at her, his eyes piercing as they focused on her face.   
  
"Please?" she repeated, stepping forward until her extended hand was nearly touching his shoulder. The silence, the stillness was killing her. Terrified, she closed her eyes for a single moment, wishing with all her heart that something would happen.   
  
She opened her eyes reflexively as his bloody fingers brushed against hers as they usurped the ghastly coloured cloth into his own hand.   
  
His blood on her hands.   
  
Blinking, her eyes unable to look away from the sight of his long, slender thumb touching hers, his vivid red blood staining her fingertips, even as he tugged gently at the cloth clutched firmly between her fingers. Shaking her head suddenly as she realised she needed to let go, Kagome looked up at the youkai in embarrassment.   
  
He had been watching her, though his clear eyes were disinterested as though she didn't exist. But still he watched her even as he raised the cloth soundlessly to his shoulder and pressed.   
  
Quietly, she lifted her chin, unable to look away as the depth of his golden eyes stole her breath and even, it seemed, her will.   
  
Have you ever looked into the sun? Knowing that you stared directly into the face of your own impending blindness, but yet, the brilliance… the magnificence of the flaring golds and oranges leaving you willing to accept the results happily if it meant that you could seize just one more second of its overwhelming beauty?   
  
Caught in his eyes, she felt her breathing speed up even as he moved back. Suddenly, unthinkingly, she took a small step forward, lost in depths she had never even known existed before.   
  
He turned away, the spell broken by her movement, but not before she saw the utterly blank look on his striking face.   
  
"The debt has been repaid," Sesshoumaru announced suddenly, his voice echoing throughout the forest. Seemingly oblivious to the dark red blood that was just beginning to congeal at his shoulder, pooling blaringly through the white, ruined silk of his kimono, the Lord of the Western walked proudly into the deepening night.   
  
"The next time we meet, I, Sesshoumaru, shall kill you."   
  
Kagome dropped to her knees, her blue eyes wide as she watched the youkai disappear from view. Her heart pounding wildly in her ears, Kagome shivered as she looked at the remnants of his blood on her small, pale hands.   
  
  


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Response to reviews:   
  
**Vernal Equinox**: *grin* Sesshoumaru is SUCH a stud, isn't he? *buys a flag off of you and waves it around herself* Thanks!  
**Ladyrissa**: Aren't I evil? :-) Thanks! And you've inspired me. Kagome will DEFINITELY have to call him Sess-chan sometime. *innocent look* Can't wait to see how he responds to that.  
**Steph**: Yeah. Poor Sess. He snoozed, he loooosed. :-) Or did he? Prolly not, considering this a romance and all and its usually considered bad form for the hero to kill the heroine. :-) Muahaha. Poor guy can't make up his mind, can he?  
**Voldersnort**: You simply have to tell me what that name means. :-) I'm going nuts trying to figure it out! And thanks! *hides the stones from you anyway* You know, just taking away the temptation and all. :-)  
**Kimmy**: Thanks! *grin* *bounces around happily*  
**Wiccachic**: Coming from one of the premier writers of Sess/Ka, that means a lot. Thank you :-)  
**Alyson**: Whew! *wipes the beads of sweat off her forehead* Just checking! :-) *grin* Thanks. And I'm really glad you liked that line. I didn't know whether or not to put it in, but at the end, I couldn't resist. :-)  
**Lightning**: You got it! :-) With a review like that, it's impossible *not* to stay motivated. Thanks!  
**Sammy-chan**: *GRIN* Agreed. Well, as long as he's not pissed at me. :-) Hope you like this chapter!  
  
  
Okay, that concludes Part One. The first chapter of Part Two should be up in a couple days. Sorry about the wait, guys! Thanks!  
  



	8. Chapter 7

**Title:** Falling Stars  
**Author:** Celyia (ladycelyia@aol.com)  
**Genre:** Romance  
**Disclaimer:** Rumiko Takahashi still owns all. :-)   
**Dedication:** To all those who enjoy the journey.  
**Note:** Oh, yuck. :-) Well, I'm back. Sorry about that, but unfortunately, between school and work, I had even less time to work on this than I expected. Anyway, so I'll work again on this all weekend and lets see if we can at least finish Part Two. At least, right now, that's the goal. If all goes well, I'll work on Part 3 (the last planned part) next week. After that, I'll revise (I'm dying to revise this baby!) and hopefully get rid of a lot of the inconsistencies and, perhaps, even polish it up a little. Oh, well. First things first- gotta get this chapter out.  
  
-Cel.  
  


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**Chapter 7**   
  
  
She couldn't bear to look at his eyes anymore.   
  
Sighing, Kagome dropped her gaze to her hands as she scaled the rough, white granite that jutted out overhead. She could feel those startlingly golden eyes, full of confusion and perhaps a bit of impatience, boring into the crown of her head as she pulled herself up to the ledge.   
  
"Dumb wench," the dog demon started suddenly, causing the girl to teeter at the edge of the rock with surprise.   
  
"Whazzat?" Kagome asked, not bothering to thank the hanyou for placing a strong hand on her shoulder to steady her since he was the one to nearly cause her to fall in the first place.   
  
Inuyasha just huffed impatiently as he turned away from the girl.   
  
"Don't know what the hell your problem is, but your stupidity is making us lose some serious time," he complained, crouching the way he normally did in a silent invitation to carry her. "For once we don't have the houshi or the brat hanging around to slow us down and then you decide that you gotta be all independent and stupid and stuff."   
  
Kagome felt her lips twitch in amusement as she noticed him avoided all mention of Sango. Again. Shaking the thought out of her head, she walked by the young man, ignoring his look as she declined his unspoken offer.   
  
"Yuh huh. Thanks, but I'm not about to be carried all throughout Japan, thank you very much," Kagome replied as she pushed herself to keep up with his pace.   
  
"Never bothered you before."   
  
"Well, it does now," the girl grumbled as she tried to (unsuccessfully) ignore the hanyou's sudden exclamation of impatience.   
  
It was the stupidest thing, Kagome admitted freely as they walked together in a rather uncompanionable silence, but a part of her knew Inuyasha had a point. And even though the more reasonable part of her knew that she was being a little unfair, it seemed impossible to change.   
  
As incredibly infantile as it sounded, even in her own head, the truth was that it hurt to look at him. After all, she committed the ultimate sin: she had betrayed him.   
  
Hell, she was still betraying him.   
  
Wincing as she tried to push that thought out of her head, Kagome concentrated on the road ahead of her. Angrily, Kagome kicked at a small rock in her path, only to gasp in pain as she managed to step directly on the sore wound she received last night.   
  
The masochist in her, though, made her seize the pain and embrace it, as if it was payment for lying to Inuyasha.   
  
_Lying?_ she asked herself suddenly, huffing at the idea. _I'm not lying to him! I'm just not telling him a little itty bitty thing. If he wasn't such an arrogant baka, I could tell him what happened last night._   
  
Instead, she was stuck walking with him in the middle of nowhere while keeping something she knew he had a right to know from him. Sighing as she looked at the hanyou's angry face, Kagome shuddered. It would take only a few words to relieve the guilt, she thought.   
  
But then what? How could she stand by knowing that it was her own incredibly dumb actions that would cause the latest altercation between the brothers? Sesshoumaru had already lost an arm. Who would be the next one to be hurt, if not killed outright?   
  
And right at that moment, the young woman couldn't handle the thought.   
  
She already had enough blood on her hands.   
  
The youkai lord's blood.   
  
Frowning, her eyes immediately studied her hands carefully for any signs of the blood she had spent so long scrubbing off the night before. He had saved her.   
  
_Why?_   
  
It didn't matter! She hadn't asked him to interfere. She could have saved herself. She wasn't going to feel guilty about this, especially since this was Sesshoumaru. He probably arranged it all just to throw her off, anyway.   
  
But if that were true, then why did his breathtaking eyes look so surprised? Shivering slightly as she remembered the intensity of the golden orbs, Kagome couldn't help but toss a curious look towards the younger brother.   
  
Even Inuyasha had tried to kill her at one point, she thought as she remembered the way his claws had slashed at her head. Had Kaede not been there at the time, the hanyou would have undoubtedly succeeded.   
  
Frowning at her turn of thoughts, Kagome gazed surreptitiously at Inuyasha. He would have killed her once, but now, he'd kill to save her. Kagome didn't need to be told to know he cared about her (although it would have been nice to hear once in a while) to know he'd die to save her. Who would have thought their relationship could change so drastically in such a short amount of time!   
  
Shaking her head slowly, Kagome jogged to catch up with the dog demon. He had to know, Kagome decided then and there. As hard as it would be to tell him, as heartbreaking it would be to stand his disappointment in her, she just couldn't lie to him anymore, even if it was a lie of omission.   
  
"What? Whatcha looking at?" Inuyasha barked, his voice harsh and gruff. Of course, she thought as her left eyebrow raised in ironic amusement, he's going to make this as hard on me as possible.   
  
"There's something…"   
  
He stopped suddenly, dead in his tracks, as he turned to glare at her. "You've been ignoring me all morning. Now you finally decide to…"   
  
Kagome turned her head, her eyes widening as a barrage of heaviness battered her body until she felt like dropping to her knees. Her eyes narrowed in shock as the pain resounded through her body, weaking her until her very knees shook.   
  
"Kagome!" Inuyasha whispered as he grasped her flailing elbow as she lost her balance.   
  
She closed her eyes in pain as he pulled her close to the warmth of his strong body, her heart beating rapidly as she tried to form her thoughts. Dizzily, the girl leaned her head against the hanyou's shoulder as she tried to refrain from vomiting.   
  
"Kagome, it's okay," Inuyasha said, his voice low and comforting as he nuzzled her ear. "I'll take care of it. I feel it, too. Just tell me which direction."   
  
The girl shook her head, barely able to focus her eyes on his kindly face.   
  
"What's wrong with me?" she panted, her head lolling to the side helplessly as another tremor of pain wracked through her tiny body.   
  
The hanyou grabbed her tightly about her waist, his voice oddly gravelly as he spoke. "Kagome! Where is Naraku?"   
  
Kagome looked into the eyes of her friend and smiled weakly as she reached out to cup his face. Her hand, trembling from the exertion, fell to her side even as her own eyes fluttered closed.   
  
"He's everywhere, Inuyasha," the girl whispered, her voice barely carrying amidst the din of silence. Forcing her eyes open long enough to stare straight into the hanyou's amber eyes, Kagome cringed as she saw the concern and anger boiling in them. "He's everywhere."   
  
  


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Response to reviews:   
  
**Steph**: Oh, you reclaim your position once again. :-) Hmm. Okay! I need to stop writing at 3am in the morning. Clarity is definitely suffering now. :-) Inuyasha is utterly oblivious because he only has a human's inferior senses right now, Kagome had a false sense of security, and Sesshoumaru? he wasn't really thinking clearly enough at the time to discern *who* was coming. (Maybe he was too busy trying to find a way out of making himself kill her? Or maybe, just maybe, he was still pondering her lips! You never know!) :-) Hope that makes a little more sense. I'll have to correct that in the next revision. :-)  
**Brooke**: *grin* You think so? :-) Glad you liked it! And here's the next chapter, as per your request. :-)   
**Jetflash**: Hopefully, this will make you smile a little.  
**I LUV INUYASHA**: Ack! No deaths! No dying! :-) I'll be sure to put up the rest of the story as soon as I can! Thanks!  
**Voldersnort**: *laugh* You are right! They *havent* spoken much yet! Hmm. That's okay. Soon enough, that's gonna change. Hmm. Harry Potter, eh? :-) Never read it. *must be the only person in the world who hasn't* :-)  
**Jaye**: With Shippou? Really? *hides the fact that Shippou-chan's scenes were basically all filler* I'm so glad! Here's to hoping you continue thinking its realistic!  
**Lightning**: Thanks, cutie! I'm trying!  
**Alyson**: I hope it doesn't disappoint! :-) Poor Sesshoumaru. He's gonna have to go through a little hell for a while until he learns to stop justifying and start accepting. Oh, men!  
**Vernal Equinox**: Yeah, I get your meaning. Thank you. That seriously has to be one of the best compliments ever. :-)  
**Sammy-chan**: Who *wouldn't* be (well, of those people in their right mind, anyway) taken by Sesshoumaru's utter beauty :-) I got a part coming up just for you in a few chapters. You'll know it when you see it.  
**Stormlight**: Kissing? How *shocking*! Would Sesshoumaru really dirty his pretty little hands with human cooties? *innocent look* By the bye, I read your Goblin King. *wow*. I loved that. That was way sweet! Have any copies left?  
**Ranma Inverse**: *GRIN* I'm really beginning to believe it, O Personal Encouragement. You, of course, are so full of flattery that it makes my head spin, but of course, that also makes me happy as hell too. :-) Thanks, Ranma-chan, for being here. :-) I'm really glad you are.  
**Angry Gen**: *sets her watch* Okay, be prepared for abounding cuteness in roughly 2 chapters. ;-) Poetic? Bah! I blabber. You are the poet around here, m'dear. :-)  
**No One**: Ooops. Nope. This isn't a KA/IY. As for Kagome, I guess I just write her (and everything else) the best way I can. :)  
  
  
Voila! The beginning of part deux! Let me know what you think, eh? :-) By the bye, if I missed any reviews, I'm sorry! I'm sorta tired right now and I'm being a dork. Thanks for taking the time! It means a lot to me :-)  
  



	9. Chapter 8

**Title:** Falling Stars  
**Author:** Celyia (ladycelyia@aol.com)  
**Genre:** Romance  
**Disclaimer:** Rumiko Takahashi still owns all. :-)   
**Dedication:** To all those who enjoy the journey.  
**Note:** Okay, well, I split this particular chapter up into two parts. Originally, what will now be Chapter 9 was actually the second half of this one but I wanted to get Sesshoumaru's reaction up before I got into the next plotline. Sorry for the inconvenience!   
  
-Cel.  
  


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**Chapter 8**   
  
  
_Why?_   
  
Absently, he raised his hand to massage the aching wound in his chest, barely refraining from wincing as his fingers probed the reddened skin.   
  
It was her fault, he decided with a consuming growl that started deep within his chest. Snarling as the sound erupted from his throat, Sesshoumaru stalked on, leaving his retainer and ward behind with nary a thought.   
  
_Inuyasha's bitch. How could such an insignificant creature manage to distort reality in such few hours?_ he wondered as he forced his hand down from his aching wound. It was almost as if she had single-handedly turned his world inside out.   
  
Snorting as his golden eyes scanned the horizon, Sesshoumaru silently scolded himself for the thought. He was simply allowing the girl to take too much power. Ones such as she undoubtedly lived for it.   
  
And he lived to crush their puny little lives between the sharp points of his claws.   
  
Almost smiling as he imagined how it would feel to see the girl lying prostrate before him, those strange but completely unappealing eyes widened with fear as she realised her situation, Sesshoumaru felt his hand clench tightly of its own accord.   
  
She would die, then, her life extinguished by his own hands. Perhaps she would finally understand her crimes as her soul ebbed slowly from that small, weak body.   
  
The thought really wasn't as pleasing as it should be.   
  
Frowning suddenly, Sesshoumaru turned his gaze upon the child who ambled so innocently after him. It was the child's curse. Certainly before her, he would have never faltered at such an opportunity as he did last night, much less find the mere idea of killing a human reprehensible.   
  
Yet, if he were to be honest to himself, he did. And because of this accursed weakness, the human woman still breathed.   
  
Instinctively, he reached into his kimono and pulled out the strange, red cloth the girl had given to him just last night. It was a remarkable weave, truly. Undoubtedly durable considering that he had seen the woman wearing the same article for three years now and it had yet to even fade. Curiously, he sniffed at it, only to be struck by the salty sweetness that emanated from the small cloth.   
  
The stench was pleasing in the most noxious way, he decided even as he stuffed it back out of his companions' view. She clearly wasn't as filthy as the humans tended to keep themselves, much to his sensitive nose's dismay.   
  
His eyes narrowed as he stepped on, infuriated by these rebellious thoughts.   
  
The woman was a liability and an annoying one at that. Yet, he had still saved her worthless life.   
  
_Why?_   
  
His nostrils flared as he suddenly found himself completely at a loss at his own actions.   
  
Feeling slightly betrayed, Sesshoumaru closed his eyes momentarily even as he continued walking. Wincing as he remembered the woman's face directly after Naraku's thug stabbed him, her blue eyes large with shock and concern (_certainly not for me?_), Sesshoumaru turned gruffly to his retainer.   
  
"Stop that infernal racket before I kill you," he said as calmly as possible, even as he felt a surge of heat rise up to the tips of his ears. He couldn't think. He needed silence and he needed it now.   
  
The woman had stolen too much of his precious time since last night. He needed just a few moments of silence, just long enough to focus his mind in order to regain control and he would permanently evict the bitch from his thoughts.   
  
_Control._   
  
He was, after all, Sesshoumaru, the feared Lord of the Western Lands. Even the most powerful of creatures would tremble at the mere utterance of his name. He could make an entire village weep with a single glance.   
  
He was the epitome of control and he, alone, would choose what he would think about.   
  
His head held high, this lord of the western realms walked proudly through his territory.   
  
_I wonder,_ he thought suddenly, a frown usurping the look of triumph from his lips as he wracked his brains for the memory he knew he possessed somewhere, _what the woman's name is?_   
  
  


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Response to reviews:   
  
Eeeek! None for the last chapter!   
  
Thanks, guys!  
  



	10. Chapter 9

  
  
**Title:** Falling Stars  
**Author:** Celyia (ladycelyia@aol.com)  
**Genre:** Romance  
**Disclaimer:** Rumiko Takahashi owns the whole damn empire.  
**Dedication:** To those who enjoy the journey.:-)   
**Note:** Woo hoo! Another chapter. Who'd ever thunk that Jaken could be such fun to play with? :-)  
  
-Cel.  
  


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**Chapter 9**   
  
  
The loyal retainer followed his master closely at his heels, reflecting on the calmness of the morning.   
  
He hated it.   
  
There was just something unnatural about all this silence, Jaken decided as he stared at the departing youkai lord. Although his master wasn't exactly known for loquacity, there was something intangibly odd about the youkai's manner this particular morning.   
  
Jaken wrinkled his snout in disgust as his eyes fell upon the normally bouncing child. She was oddly quiet, as well. Perhaps she had contaminated Sesshoumaru-sama with her filthy human…   
  
Suddenly Sesshoumaru growled, the sound low in his throat as he leveled his gaze upon his hapless retainer. _Perhaps,_ Jaken thought as he backed up a step, _the silence wasn't so bad after all._   
  
"Stop that infernal racket before I kill you," the youkai lord commanded, his soft voice resonating through the air with an energy that shocked the old valet. Jaken looked quickly from side to side looking for the source of the offending noise… _Wait a minute. What sound? _   
  
His eyes lit up in delight as he realized what his master must be referring to. With an evil delight, Jaken turned to the currently silent little girl and tapped her head with the old, gnarled staff he carried with him everywhere.   
  
"You better leave, girl. He's going to kill you," Jaken gloated as he watched the girl's brown eyes furrow in thought even as her tiny hand rubbed her sore head ruefully. "Sesshoumaru-sama has decided … "   
  
"Oh! Go eat a fly!" the girl suddenly giggled, her lively brown eyes dancing in her tanned face.   
  
The retainer swung the staff towards the child's head again only to lose his balance as the girl quickly jumped out of the way.   
  
"I told you, girl, I am not a frog. I am a highly evolved youkai. I do not eat flies…"   
  
"Jaken-sama eats flies! Jaken-sama eats flies!"   
  
"I do NOT!"   
  
"Yes, you do. Rin saw you," the girl nodded her head determinedly as she crouched down on all fours and hopped. "See, Sesshoumaru-sama, Jaken did this."   
  
"I do not hop," the toad demon looked anxiously towards his master, only to sigh in relief as he realized the dog youkai was completely oblivious.   
  
"You do too!" Rin corrected as she opened her mouth wide as possible. Maybe she'll shut up now, Jaken thought exasperatedly. No such luck, he realized as he watched the girl's mouth move slightly as she continued to hop around. "Amf ven, ooo goo wike VIS!"   
  
Jaken slapped a hand over his eyes, as if being unable to see it meant that it wasn't happening.   
  
"I do NOT!"   
  
"Do too!"   
  
"Do NOT!"   
  
"Rin saw you!"   
  
"You did not!"   
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama saw, too! And Jaken's face is orange."   
  
The youkai clasped his hands over his face protectively. "No, it is not! It's a quite nice shade of green, thank you very much. Ugly little brat. At least it's not white like you." The toad demon seemed to think for a moment. "What do you mean that Sesshoumaru-sama saw?"   
  
Rin giggled as she hopped up to the tiny demon, only to hop merrily out of his way as he reflexively swung the staff at her.   
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama saw!"   
  
The toad demon looked in panic to the tall, striding lord who walked so far ahead. Jaken's head fell forward in relief as he realized that Sesshoumaru-sama was too far off in his thoughts to pay attention.   
  
"He did not!" Jaken yelled as he leaped forward to hit the girl. Suddenly, he dangled helplessly in the air.   
  
Golden eyes peered down at him, the smooth corners of the thin lips unamused.   
  
"I did," Sesshoumaru verified as he stared his retainer down. "And Jaken, your face is orange."   
  
The girl burst into a fit of giggles as she ran in pleased circles around the youkai.   
  
"Tell me, Jaken," the young youkai lord said quietly as he continued to hold the retainer by the scruff of the neck. "What do you feel?"   
  
Jaken winced as he tried to keep from squirming too much.   
  
"Pain, oh great one."   
  
The dog demon's clear eyes clouded for a moment as he looked at Jaken with a slight frown. Suddenly, Jaken found himself sprawled upon the hard, packed dirt.   
  
Jumping to his feet, the retainer groveled with relish.   
  
"It was the most delicious pain, Sesshoumaru-sama."   
  
Jaken opened an eye as he risked a look towards the slightly ill looking lord. _Ooops. Perhaps that wasn't the answer Sesshoumaru-sama was looking for?_   
  
"Your own abject pleasures aside, Jaken, do you sense anything?"   
  
Jaken felt his face return to its natural green colour as the embarrassment faded and his concentration increased.   
  
Shaking his slight head vehemently, the retainer cowered before his lord and master. "Other than the Stealer, sire? Nothing."   
  
The youkai's eyes seemed to widen almost imperceptibly but not before Jaken caught the look.   
  
"Stealers? I, Sesshoumaru, banned them long ago from these lands," the aforementioned lord spoke quietly, but Jaken could hear the anger vibrating in the very air.   
  
The retainer frowned, his head aching already from the strength of Sesshoumaru's displeasure. "Yes, sire. Do not worry," Jaken reassured as he sniffed the air testingly. With the confidence of a connoisseur, the toad demon nodded as he spoke. "It has nearly finished Stealing. After it is done, it will lie dormant until it finishes consuming its prey. And that, Sesshoumaru-sama, will take years. Pity the poor peasant who falls under those clutches."   
  
The young youkai growled dangerously as he started to move swiftly towards the source of the negativity.   
  
"Pity instead," Sesshoumaru started, not even bothering to wait for his retainer to catch up, "the Stealer who dares to defy me on my very lands. Come."   
  
Jaken scrambled after the fleeting figure in white, his mouth turned into a frown as he waited for the ungainly baggage known as Rin to catch up.   
  
"Hurry, brat. We will lose him and it will be all your fault!"   
  
The girl just nodded, panting as she tried keep up.   
  
Rolling his eyes as he grabbed the girl's hand, he pulled her along as he chased after the youkai lord.   
  
"Jaken loves Rin!" the girl uttered in delight as she looked at their joined hands, her face lighting up even as she stumbled along.   
  
"I DO NOT! Ugly human! Shut up or else I'll leave you behind to be eaten by the Stealer," Jaken threatened as he happily imagined the sight.   
  
"You are so funny," Rin stated seriously as she pushed herself over a rock. "Rin loves Jaken, too!"   
  
The toad demon stopped dead in his tracks, unable to keep his face from turning bright orange once again as he regarded the girl. "You do NOT! Take that back! Take that back right now!"   
  
"Rin do too! And Jaken-sama?" the girl shook her head slowly, her mouth wide in a smile as she started to pull at his hand. "Let's go! Sesshoumaru-sama is getting away."   
  
Cursing under his breath as he realized that Sesshoumaru had disappeared completely from view, Jaken sniffed the air. "Dumb little girl. Good thing I can smell him or else we'd never see him again."   
  
The girl giggled, her head bouncing from side to side as she regarded the retainer. "Nuh uh! Sesshoumaru-sama loves Rin. He would find her."   
  
"Not if I feed you to a hungry youkai first."   
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama would feed Jaken to the hungry youkai, too," the girl stated, undoubtedly correctly, as they cleared the thick copse of trees.   
  
The retainer, his small brain pulsating almost violently as he tried to think of a quick rejoinder to put the child in her place, seemed to pause as the overbearing negativity of a Stealer hit him.   
  
Wincing as he fell to his knees, Jaken looked at the scene around him. His reaction faster than it had been in years, impressed even him as he grabbed the girl and covered her eyes with his sweaty hands.   
  
"Jaken-sama?" the girl asked, her voice trembling from the foul aura of the environment. For probably the first time since she started following them, the girl remained silently within his grip.   
  
"Quiet, girl. Just remain quiet," Jaken whispered almost kindly, unable to keep his hands from trembling as he watched his master walk slowly towards the center of the field, the lord's grace unshaken even as he stepped over the distorted bodies of the dead and to the lone hanyou that stood amidst it all.   
  
The hanyou roared, his silver hair glistening in the light as he pushed something behind his body. Jaken frowned slightly as he recognized the lifeless form of the young woman who accompanied Inuyasha everywhere.   
  
So they had finally fallen?   
  
Not even the impetuous pup or the human deserved a fate such as this, he decided as he watched his master circle warily around the hanyou, the Stealer watching on in amusement.   
  
Jaken frowned, his snout completely unsuited for the task as he felt the itch of someone's eyes falling upon his body.   
  
"Master!" Jaken yelled suddenly, his mind suddenly feeling weak as he identified the feeling. "Behind you!"   
  
Sesshoumaru looked back, only to smile slightly as the white fur of an albino baboon flitted between the sparse trees. Wordlessly, the great lord turned his intimidating gaze to his brother, nodding almost imperceptibly.   
  
The hanyou seemed to almost jump back in surprise, but slowly, a smile came to Inuyasha's lips. With an answering nod, the two brothers turned suddenly to face the terror that stood before them.   
  
Together.   
  
  
  
  


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Response to Reviews:   
  
**Stormlight**: Scary, isn't it? :-) Chapter 7 was admittedly filler, but I'm glad you liked 8. :-) That one was fun to write.  
**Kimmy**: Yes, ma'am! Yeah! We need a bunch more Kas/Sess fics out there!  
**Lady Rissa**: *GRIN* That was my impression, too. But, I suspect, there is as much danger in having that much control as there is in being as impulsive as Inuyasha is. ;-) Thanks!  
**Steph**: *innocent look* Geesh. Slacker. :-) Don't worry about missing her getting injured. It was a *very* slight reference in chapter 6. Unless, of course, you are referring to her fainting spell. Or was it merely fainting? Muahaha. The soap continues!  
**Voldersnort**: Eeek! I admit it. I'm a perverse and twisted soul. :-) I have to read HP soon... once my tax refund comes in. *ahem* (Tax refund? What tax refund?) Niiiiiiiice! You picked up the Sango deal. Was wondering if anyone would catch that. :-) That will turn into a side story a little later on. ;-) Thanks!  
  
Woo hoo! Another chapter down! Thanks for the reviews!  
  



	11. Chapter 10

**Title:** Falling Stars  
**Author:** Celyia (ladycelyia@aol.com)  
**Genre:** Romance  
**Disclaimer:** Rumiko Takahashi still owns all. :-)   
**Dedication:** To all those who enjoy the journey.  
**Note:** Sorry about taking so long to upload! You'd think I'd learn by now not to tote only copies of stories around on a floppy, but noooooo. So should we all be surprised when the file gets corrupted and I have to re-write the whole damn thing (including my lovely 15 page outline!) from scratch?   
  
Ack. I'm a moron. Okay, I'm reuploading this chapter to better show a certain event. *mumbles something about perspective third person being a bitch* Hope this helps!  
  
And damn, I cannot write action sequences. Oh, well. Just close your eyes and pretend, okay? :-) Thanks!  
  
-Cel.  
  


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**Chapter 10**   
  
  
He stood silently, his eyes closed even as his ears swiveled to listen to the rapid steps of the enemy unseen. Growling with frustration as he couldn't pinpoint his nemesis's ever-changing location, Inuyasha opened his eyes and glared at his brother.   
  
"Do not degrade yourself by playing the hanyou's game," the youkai stated, his low voice strong and arrogant.   
  
He turned suddenly, unable to help himself as he heard Naraku's mad laughter echo throughout the damp field. Everywhere. It was coming from everywhere.   
  
"Brother!" Sesshoumaru snapped harshly, the word invading Inuyasha's muddled brain until the hanyou jumped slightly with a start. "You concentrate on the wrong enemy."   
  
Inuyasha growled, his lips pulling back reflexively as he bared his fangs. "Naraku."   
  
He could smell him, the foul stench hanging in the still air as if to tease the young dog demon into insanity. He stepped forward, his whole being thrumming with the need to exact vengeance, to taste the unnatural creature's blood, to…   
  
"Inuyasha!"   
  
He blinked, his reddening eyes watering as he looked up at the owner of the white hand that lay so innocuously upon his shoulder. Sesshoumaru?   
  
"The girl's soul lies with the Stealer, not the hanyou."   
  
Inuyasha shook his head slowly, his golden eyes squinting in confusion as he looked upon the tall, imposing creature that stood gloating before him.   
  
"Stealer?"   
  
Sesshoumaru snorted in impatience, the sound startling to Inuyasha's sensitive ears.   
  
"Impulsive as ever, I see. Do you not even learn the identity of your enemy before you attack?"   
  
Violently, the young hanyou shrugged his brother's hand off.   
  
"Somebody has to attack," Inuyasha angrily retorted. "You're always too busy running off your ugly mouth to do a damn thing."   
  
"Every moment you waste arguing with me brings the Stealer a second closer to consuming the girl's soul."   
  
Inuyasha shook his head, his mouth pulling into a fierce frown as he considered his estranged brother's words. Against his better judgment, he turned his attention away from his brother and the madman who stalked the shadows of the field and back onto the gigantic creature that hovered before him.   
  
"Kikyou," he whispered almost devoutly, ignoring the way his brother tilted his head thoughtfully at the soft word. Taking his eyes from the empty shell of the girl he loved, Inuyasha focused his attention back upon the creature, even as his heart threatened to stop in horror as he suddenly recalled the stories he once heard of the youkai known as Stealers.   
  
The Tetsusaiga drawn and gleaming in the sunlight, Inuyasha crouched down upon his haunches as he prepared to leap.   
  


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_ He sat there, his silver head pressed in fear against his mother's slender, trembling legs as he listened to the old man speak.   
  
"Hush, Jiran!" his mother's voice, normally soft and comforting resounded staunchly throughout the elegant room. "You are scaring him!"   
  
The old man shook his bald head, his ancient eyes focused upon the stubborn young mother even as they narrowed in frustration.   
  
"Lady, he must be prepared for the horrors of the world out there," the man insisted even as he kneeled down next to the child. "How could he be expected to fulfill his duties as advisor to Lord Sesshoumaru if he is ignorant of the world around him?"   
  
"Jiran! He is a child! There is no need for him to hear of this now."   
  
Squeezing his eyes tightly shut as he hugged his mother's leg, Inuyasha tried to ignore the old, foul smell of Jiran's rancid breath.   
  
"You say that even as your mate and his son are off fighting one? Ignorance isn't protection, Lady. Ignorance leads only to pain and defeat.   
  
"Listen to me, Inuyasha-sama," the man started suddenly, turning to the boy, his tones rebellious as he continued to speak over the woman's objections.   
  
"Once the Stealer has the soul, it will never let go until you force it to. But be wary, child. Although it cannot steal a youkai soul, your han…"   
  
Inuyasha cringed as he felt his mother breathe harshly, her anger nearly tangible in its unspoken warning.   
  
"Your blood…" Jiran hastily continued, the word sounding distinctly odd on the man's wrinkled lips, "… is in danger. You must kill this beast, Inuyasha-sama. But be wary of the beast's stomach for it is in there that its victims' tortured souls are housed. One slash to the stomach will destroy the souls, leaving them unable to be born again in a new life and therefore forced to spend the rest of their existence in horrible agony."   
  
"Where do I hit?" the child asked shakily, his eyes still hidden by the soft length of his mother's kimono.   
  
Jiran laughed, a harsh sound that startled even the hanyou's mother.   
  
"The little warrior, indeed. Your father will be pleased, Inuyasha-sama," the man nodded as he cupped the child's pointed chin in his hands. "Open your eyes. This is important."   
  
Two gnarled fingers reached up slowly only to drag the wrinkled lengths across the child's smooth, soft neck. "One slash here to destroy to beast, but one slash here…" Jiran smiled gruesomely as he drew the fingers across the bottom of Inuyasha's small, rotund belly, "to free the souls trapped inside."   
  
"And the victims?" his mother suddenly inserted, her voice low and urgent. "Will they return to their bodies once the Stealer is defeated?"   
  
The elderly man sighed as he laid a comforting palm on the beautiful woman's shoulder.   
  
"That, I'm afraid, m'lady, is impossible. Once a small amount of time passes, the body will begin to die and can no longer embrace the soul."   
  
Startled by his mother's sudden, sharp intake of breath, Inuyasha looked up into her shining, watering eyes.   
  
"So they are dead."   
  
The man nodded once, an uncharacteristic compassion softening the harsh lines of his face.   
  
"Milord and Lord Sesshoumaru have undoubtedly already destroyed the creature and put an end to their suffering."   
  
The woman laughed briefly, a broken sound. Softly, she brushed her lips against her son's silken hair. "Well, it appears we will remain at your father's fortress a little longer than we originally intended, Inuyasha. But do not fear, we WILL return home."   
  
Inuyasha frowned, his heart wrenching as he could feel the horrible sorrow and helplessness overwhelm his mother's petite form. His lids fluttered closed as the strong odour of salt tears invaded his senses.   
  
This… this Stealer thing made his mother cry, he realised, his small body tensing with anger as his fingers flexed instinctively into a fist.   
  
And for that, it would pay. _   
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
He snarled, his own blood dripping down his chin from the small holes his fangs had created when he bit his lower lip.   
  
So this was a Stealer, Inuyasha growled as he stalked slowly, carefully, around to the creature's side.   
  
A pleased, feral smile usurped his lips as he watched his elder brother wait warily on the other side, his hands gnarled and ready for the command to strike.   
  
Quietly, his nearly scarlet eyes transversed the creature's form, pausing only for a moment on the bulbous belly which housed Kikyou's stolen spirit.   
  
He would be damned before he let anyone take the girl away from him. No. Not after he just found her again.   
  
She was his. No matter what form or name she assumed, she was still his Kikyou.   
  
His heart's mate.   
  
His eyes speaking a million words of intention as he met his brother's, Inuyasha leapt high into the air, the spring breeze pushing against his tensed body with a refreshing pressure as he brought Tetsusaiga high above his head.   
  
Grinning as he felt the force of his brother's claws as they cut through the air and directly below the Stealer's stomach, Inuyasha sliced the sword across the slimy neck, howling in triumph as he felt the a stream of hot blood spray over his face even as he heard Sesshoumaru's startled grunt.   
  
He turned away as a bright, white light erupted from the bleeding gut, the brilliance blinding as it jolted back to the form which lay on the muddy ground.   
  
Satisfied, Inuyasha looked towards the brother who stood deathly still with a hand pressed oddly against his silk-encased stomach next to the Stealer's shredded corpse.   
  
Once, then twice the youkai nodded nearly imperceptibly. Narrow golden eyes filled with something like approval as the brothers' gazes met, Sesshoumaru's elegant form wavering slightly even as a small stream of blood leaked out from between the lord's slender fingers.   
  
Inuyasha blinked, his heart pounding faster and more chaotically now at his brother's subtle gesture than during the actual battle itself.   
  
Sesshoumaru approved?   
  
Biting his lower lip as he tried to force the startling thought from his head, Inuyasha turned from his brother and raced to check on the girl who lay unconscious among the bloodied mud.   
  
  


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Response to reviews:   
  
**Steph**: Wooo. I'm relieved you liked that one! I wasn't sure about the ending. Was afraid it was kind of trite, but I needed it to go like that. Dammit. :-) I usually use your comments as my basis for deciding on whether or not one of my chapters was okay, so I'm ecstatic Ch 9 passed the litmus test!   
**Vernal Equinox**: Eeek! Internet-less! *sniffles sadly* That's just not right, man. Just not right! *grin* Thanks!! *bounce* The Sango thing will be in a side story after FS is complete. It won't be a part of the actual story so those who wish to ignore it, can feel free to and not really lose out on any plotlines.  
**Jaye**: Oooops! Sorry! I didn't really think it would remain much of a cliffhanger since I had planned to upload the resolution within a couple hours, but... ah! life works in mysterious ways. And regarding your question about Shippou and Kagome, *innocent look* you may just have something there!  
**Winter**: Thanks! With any luck, you won't change your oh-so-nice opinion as the story continues. ;-) *GRIN* Glad you liked the J/S/R scene. That one was a lot of fun to write!  
**Brooke**: Kagome? Dead? *grin* Would I do that to you? *innocent look* Hope you liked the fight scene (as small as it was!)  
**Voldersnort x 3**: *innocent look* Okay, I admit you have a point about the tax refund thing, but dammit! a girl can dream, can't she? :-) Glad you liked this bit. I was kind of thinking it would either flop or soar, so I'm definitely relieved it did okay with you. :-)  
**Angry Gen**: *GRIN* Don't worry, poor Inu isn't doomed to have a sad end, though he definitely is going to have to work for redemption, especially after tonight's chapter. As for Sesshoumaru being a bastard... Isn't he though? *likes that word- bastard* Poor Inu is sorta still lost in immaturity (remember that saying that girls mature faster than boys? That's even moreso true when it comes to the hanyou :-)... and a theme of betrayal? I swear, AG, you keep giving me all these wonderful ideas! *grin*  
**She-Ronin**: If that isn't the most flattering, ego-boosting review, I don't know what is. All I can say is *THANK YOU*! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! *buys you nailpolish to make up for your nails*  
**No One**: Bah! Don't worry! Things usually work out for the best, especially when it comes to fanfiction. :-) Hey, if I still have the energy after this fic is through, I'll finally write that damn IY/K fic that's been floating around in my head for a while just to make you happy. :-)  
**Oxygen**: I don't think I can say that I've EVER felt so happy to be told someone hated me before. *GRIN* Oh, don't worry about this one ending any time soon. Unlike poor Sesshoumaru, I'm a bit more on the never-ending loquacious side. :-)  
**Stormlight**: *grin* Miracles never cease, eh? I admit I'm writing Rin and Jaken kind of blindly, but I'm trying to make up for my inevitable consistency mistakes by making it slightly cute. :-)  
**Pianita**: Thanks! *whispers conspiringly* My bet is on the dog demon. *innocent look*  
**Alyson**: Men. :-) Strange creatures, aren't they? And I agree completely when it comes to Rin/Jaken! Or at least, so I hope. :-) As for Sess/IY, I'm kind of surprised more writers haven't had them fighting side by side. It just seems to be a natural step in the scheme of things, you know? :-)  
**Inuki**: Thank you, Inuki! :-) I wish I could say otherwise, but right now, things don't look very good for Inuyasha romance-wise! Hope you can forgive me!  
**Nizuno**: *GRIN* Anything? Muahahaha! A willing victim! I think I've found heaven! :-) Hey, thank you so much for your review! I can't tell you how happy it makes me :-)  
**Lightning**: Oooops! Sorry, hon.  
**Ranma Inverse**: Oh, bah! No worries. :-) Reviews are gifts readers give, not something fanfic writers should expect. Just know I really appreciate your time. Thanks a whole bunch, sweetie. :-)  
**Sammy-chan**: Eeeek! Sorry, Sammy! I'll try harder next time!  
  
  
Thanks, guys!  
  



	12. Chapter 11

**Title:** Falling Stars  
**Author:** Celyia (ladycelyia@aol.com)  
**Genre:** Romance  
**Disclaimer:** Rumiko Takahashi still owns all. :-)   
**Dedication:** To all those who enjoy the journey.  
**Note:** Oh, dammit! Well, the corrupted file pretty much cut into the speed I was planning to get these puppies out. I had hoped to have finished Part 2 by tonight, but unfortunately, it looks like we are only going to get midway through. Dammit. Anyway, that means I'll have to leave things off here until I can work again on this baby next weekend. Sorry about that!  
  
Ooops. Between this and my recent "Lost In A Moment", I appear to be pissing people off. All I can say is that while it's disappointing to the extreme to know that some of you may dislike, if not downright hate my stories, you just got to take them as they are. Think of me of a tour guide, not a taxi driver. I'll show you a little around my world, but if you don't like it, you can always choose to get off the next stop. Sorry about not being able to be more accommodating, but there's only so much I can do. :-)  
  
-Cel.  
  


* * *

  
  
  
**Chapter 11**   
  
  
_Kikyou_, he mused idly as he watched the girl stir slowly from her unnatural sleep.   
  
His hand pressed silently against his injury, only to wince as the pain wracked through his body. With a sigh, Sesshoumaru looked down at his stomach, frowning as the blood began to mar the expensive white silk of his kimono.   
  
He raised his head as he heard the girl's confused moans as she slowly pulled herself up to a sitting position.   
  
_Kikyou._   
  
Sesshoumaru frowned, his claws pinching together the sides of the wound as he watched the way the girl's dark hair fell in tangled streams down her thin shoulders.   
  
The name didn't sound quite right, he decided even as he allowed himself to sit upon the dirty ground. Grimacing in disgust as he watched a stream of ants parade past his foot, Sesshoumaru slowly leaned his head against the mottled grass, his eyes shutting closed of their own accord as he tried to restrain his reaction to the pain.   
  
Kikyou, indeed. He had heard the name before, of that he was certain. It was not a disagreeable name, Sesshoumaru thought as he turned his head in time to watch the hanyou help the girl to his feet, but it lacked the strength the girl possessed.   
  
His eyebrow cocked curiously as he watched the scene unfold- his brother standing so close to the girl, his hand going to touch her several times only to be pulled back suddenly at the last moment. Then, the way this Kikyou's gentle blue eyes (_perhaps they were a tiny bit attractive_) gazed around the field, the compassion and grief evident as she noticed the scores of bodies strewn messily across the blood-soaked ground.   
  
Biting back the laughter that would pain his slashed stomach, Sesshoumaru watched in amusement as the hanyou's ears swiveled to attention.   
  
_Inexperienced warriors. You always did neglect your defense, little brother._   
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama!"   
  
He lifted his head curiously, frowning as the toad youkai interrupted his thoughts. Suddenly angry with himself for forgetting his retainer and ward's presence, Sesshoumaru slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position.   
  
Suddenly, he frowned.   
  
"Jaken," Sesshoumaru called, forcing his voice to sound solid and firm even as he watched the white figure hover threateningly behind the pair, "return with Rin at once to the fortress."   
  
The toad looked surprised, his hand seemingly glued to the child's eyes. For an edgy moment, Sesshoumaru was certain the meddlesome retainer would argue, but, for once, the tiny youkai just nodded, his hand falling only to tug at the child's wrist.   
  
The girl blinked, her dilated eyes focusing on the horror as she gazed around the impromptu battlefield.   
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama?" the girl whispered, her face pale as she slowly was pulled away from the scene of the massacre. Intelligent brown eyes widened in horror as they focused on the scarlet liquid flowing freely above his sash.   
  
"SESSHOUMARU-SAMA!" Rin screamed, ripping out of the retainer's startled grip with a strength the youkai lord would have never guessed a human child could possess.   
  
"Rin. Stop right there!" he barked, his throat tightening as he watched the albino fur move slowly towards the child.   
  
Still, the damnable child ran on, her knotted hair flying carelessly with her speed.   
  
Gritting his teeth as he forced himself to his feet, Sesshoumaru loosened his grip upon his stomach, ignoring the way his internal organs pressed precariously against the incised tissue as his arms reached out to scoop the fleeing child into the safety of his embrace.   
  
He fell suddenly upon his haunches, blinded by anger as a shadow of silver obscured his view.   
  
"Move!" Sesshoumaru commanded, his lips pulled back in a fierce snarl as he tried to climb back up to his rebelling feet.   
  
His brother looked down upon his, all emotion erased from his normally expressive face as he shielded the child's small body with his own.   
  
The woman screamed, the sound piercing Sesshoumaru's awareness with its startling clarity, as a huge ball of energy slammed into Inuyasha's back, causing the hanyou to grunt harshly in pain.   
  
The dog demon collapsed to the ground, his body trembling with pain even as he held the child protectively to his chest. Golden eyes met golden eyes for one speaking moment, before one pair rolled up as the hanyou fell unconscious.   
  
"No," the woman whispered as she watched as traces of white fur ran in and out from behind the trees.   
  
Sesshoumaru frowned as he turned helplessly to the toad youkai that lay, stunned, by his younger brother.   
  
Undoubtedly, Jaken had tried to rescue the child, only to be hit by the same blast of energy that had taken down Inuyasha.   
  
"Take her," Sesshoumaru said suddenly, more surprised by his words than the woman he spoke them to. "I, Sesshoumaru, shall distract…"   
  
The infuriatingly creature just huffed, impatiently blowing a stream of air out of her pretty mouth.   
  
She turned away (_the insolent wench is ignoring me!_), her startling blue eyes intent on the hanyou whose maddened laughter echoed in his ears.   
  
Slowly, each subtle movement screaming of determination, the girl walked back to the spot she had fallen previously. Her mouth set firmly in a frown, she picked up the ancient bow and quarrel full of arrows that usually accompanied her lithe form everywhere.   
  
Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed as he listened to the ignoble laughter jar through the air, twisting and pushing the sound waves until his sensitive ears ached. Yet, a single glance towards the woman convinced him that she not only had her fears under control, but, in fact, honed them with intent until they could be used against her adversary.   
  
Her pink lips pulled into a slight smile as she nocked the dull-tipped arrow, her arms seeming to guide themselves to the target.   
  
His eyes transfixed to the beautiful spectacle, as she stood alone upon the field of death and decay- a startling vision risen up out of destruction.   
  
Slightly smiling in admiration at her show of courage, Sesshoumaru inclined his head graciously towards the woman, who gave no sign of seeing his silent admission. It was regrettable that the situation had degraded so far, but a part of him was strangely pleased to know that if his existence must end, it would do so beside this proud lioness with the lightning eyes and wild, black hair.   
  
Shaking out of his stupour by the graceless footfalls of the enemy, Sesshoumaru raised his gaze to fall upon the gloating hanyou.   
  
Anger burned inside his very soul as he watched the baboon skull tremble and quake with amusement. With laughter.   
  
Sesshoumaru scowled as he fought his way to his feet, his teeth clenched together as he pressed a shaking hand against his shredded stomach.   
  
The woman stepped forward, her eyes alighting on his form for merely a second before her attention returned to her prey.   
  
The youkai lord turned a surprised look towards the hanyou, his lips twisted with pleasure as he watched Naraku continue to taunt the girl with that decidedly inane cackling.   
  
Somewhere along the line, Sesshoumaru decided as he watched her coolly aim the arrow directly at Naraku's heart, the prey had shrugged off her bonds and become the predator.   
  
And as long as the hanyou took his superiority for granted, this lioness… this Kikyou … just might win.   
  
Perhaps he stared too long at the woman, or maybe the hanyou's survival instinct kicked in, but even as Sesshoumaru wondered if their chances of survival had increased, a huge ball of pulsating energy erupted from the hanyou's pale, soft hands, its trajectory aimed directly for the woman.   
  
His lips curled in disgust as he tried to move but found his traitorous body unable to carry him from the spot. Growling with anger, Sesshoumaru forced himself to watch the girl's imminent destruction, his heart thudding rapidly in his chest even as he noticed the indifferent look in the woman's eyes.   
  
_Indifferent?_   
  
Time seemed to stop for the young lord as he watched the woman take a slow step forward, her attention directed solely at the aggressor's slender chest. Bright blue energy gathered and swirled around her, leaping off her skin like iced lightning even as the miasma slammed towards her, only to split in two right before his eyes. As the miasma dissipated into a smoky oblivion, she released her hand and the wooden arrow with it, her brilliant eyes shining with determination as the shaft flew, perfect and straight, towards the hanyou's evil heart.   
  
Naraku turned, his fur-clad body thrown to the side as the wooden shaft embedded itself deep within his chest. Crying out as the pain engulfed him, the hanyou made a strange, sudden movement, only to disappear a moment later behind a veil of fog and smoke.   
  
"Coward," Sesshoumaru growled even as his strength gave out. He fell to his knees, his hands both holding his internal organs in as he turned his attention to the child who lay stunned within his brother's arms.   
  
The woman was suddenly beside him, her soft arms helping him to the ground even as her intriguing scent invaded his senses.   
  
Shaking his head, he looked up into her eyes, only to feel slightly startled by the slight, tired smile she graced him with.   
  
She left his side, only to return a moment later with an incredible happiness in her eyes that belied the exhaustion that caused her small hands to tremble.   
  
"They're all alive," the woman breathed excitedly, her sweet breath tickling his nose. "Inuyasha. The little girl. Even Jaken. They are all alive."   
  
Sesshoumaru nodded dumbly, mesmerized by the look of joy the woman gifted him with.   
  
_Maybe,_ he thought even as he began to lose consciousness, _her eyes are pleasing after all._   
  
  


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Response to reviews:   
  
None for last chapter!  
  


**Author's Note:** Thank god for reviews. :-) Okay, let me clarify that Kikyou has no actual place in this story. I'm using a perspective third-person, meaning that you are getting the sometimes flawed point of view of different characters. Sesshoumaru, thanks to Inuyasha's whisper in the previous chapter, is now under the impression Kagome's name is Kikyou.

*grin* Oh, the tangled webs we weave when we *ahem* don't bother learning someone's name in the first place. ;-) By the bye, as of this time, I have no intention of bringing in Kikyou. As it is, even Naraku is only making a cameo appearance. 

If the story is still leaving you confused, let me sum it up now: poor, brutally injured Sesshoumaru may be developing an itty bitty crush on Our Heroine. Tune in next week to read Part 2 of _As The Tail Turns. ;-)_  
  



	13. Chapter 12

**Title:** Falling Stars  
**Author:** Celyia (ladycelyia@aol.com)  
**Genre:** Romance  
**Disclaimer:** Rumiko Takahashi still owns all. :-)   
**Dedication:** To all those who enjoy the journey.  
**Note:** Sorry about taking so long to continue this story but somehow I found myself in Northern California this weekend.(Quite against my will.) Oh, well. Normally I wouldn't even dream of trying to write during the week, but I think I'll give it a shot to try to make up for being so slack lately. Hope you like tonight's chapter!   
  
-Cel.  
  


* * *

  
  
  
**Chapter 12**   
  
  
He winced as the dish fell from her hands, its dull clay shards shattering the silence of the humble room even as the sharp, red pieces tumbled across the marred wooden floor.   
  
"Oh!" the girl exclaimed, leaving him less than impressed with her show of articulancy. Brushing aside the last remnants of sleep, Sesshoumaru stared up at the thatched ceiling. Out of his peripheral vision, Sesshoumaru watched the young woman kneel upon the floor and nimbly sweep the pottery shards up with a careless hand.   
  
The old miko sighed as she laid a strong, but wrinkled hand upon the girl's shoulder.   
  
The girl looked up at the elderly woman, tears shining in those strange blue eyes of hers. "I'm so sorry, Kaede-baachan…"   
  
"Oh, hush, child. It's been a trying day for you," the woman soothed, her no-nonsense tones oddly comforting. "You should be in bed yourself…"   
  
The petite woman shook her head, her jet-black hair fluttering wildly with the sudden movement. "I can't. Not until…"   
  
The old woman nodded her head softly as she moved back to the covered bundle that lay on the other side of the fire.   
  
"In all probability, he will not wake up until the morning," Kaede replied even as she hovered back over the still figure.   
  
His brother.   
  
Sesshoumaru felt a growl rumble at the very depths of his stomach, the anger boiling in his veins as he turned his head to have a better look at the unconscious form of the young dog demon. Stifling the growl as his eyes fell upon the elderly woman and the young miko who kneeled so anxiously over Inuyasha, the demon lord frowned slightly as his situation dawned on him.   
  
They brought him back with his brother? That was slightly unexpected, to say the least. Pushing aside the strange emotions in his stomach at the realization he had not been abandoned in his weakness, Sesshoumaru instead concentrated on the scene before him. His golden eyes followed the girl's nervous movements, only to feel a sudden bite of amusement as the girl scrambled to catch the white thread that she just dropped.   
  
"Child," the old woman started as the liver-spotted hand scooped the thread out of the girl's rather precarious grip. The demon lord felt a small, crooked smile usurp his normally stoic lips as he detected the slight strain of impatience in Kaede's voice. "You need to rest."   
  
The girl sighed, the sound hopeless and guilt-ridden.   
  
"I have to help, Kaede," this woman-child insisted, even as the tone of her voice seemed to admit that she was aware she was presently more of a bother than assistance.   
  
The woman nodded almost imperceptibly, only to incline her head towards Sesshoumaru's still body.   
  
"I know, Kagome. You could probably help me most by cleaning the brother's wounds while I finish these last stitches."   
  
"Sesshoumaru's?" the girl started, her voice oddly tensed.   
  
The old miko nodded. "Of course, you could also lay down and attend to your own needs before your body collapses. The choice is yours."   
  
He closed his eyes instinctively, feigning slumber, a part of him confused as to his deception but it suddenly seemed so important to see how this young woman would treat him while she believed him helpless in her care.   
  
"And, one thing," the woman broke into the demon lord's thought with a start, "if he begins to wake up, move away. He may not realize what happened and attack you."   
  
Restraining the glower at the words, Sesshoumaru felt a brush of air as the girl hovered above him.   
  
Attack her?   
  
As if he were some confused, wounded animal with no sense of gratitude for the girl's, albeit unnecessary, administrations?   
  
Willing to regain his thoroughly souring temper, Sesshoumaru peeked out from between the camouflage of his long eyelashes.   
  
Small hands, warm and faintly damp, slipped beneath the confines of his kimono top, only to gently press a dry cloth against his wounds. Slowly, the girl loosened the ruined silk, evidently trying to pry the clothing free from the wound without disturbing the blood clots.   
  
Her full lips, unfortunately still as distracting as they had been the night before, twisted into a strangely attractive pout as she finally succeeded in divesting him of his top. The sudden, shocked gasp as her eyes alit on his injuries amused him, almost as much as the sudden green tint to her face did.   
  
_So the little miko cannot handle to sight of blood._   
  
Fighting back the almost overwhelming instinct to smile at her obvious distress, Sesshoumaru wondered at this sudden relief that he felt to know the girl possessed yet another flaw.   
  
"Kaede," the girl breathed, her voice trembling as she appeared to be unable to remove her eyes from his stomach.   
  
The old woman scurried over, only to click her tongue against her teeth as she surveyed the wounds.   
  
"And you say he still attempted to fight even after he received his injuries?"   
  
The girl nodded, her nostrils flaring as her light complexion paled even more.   
  
"Stubborn creature," the miko decided as she shrugged her large shoulders. "He's as bad as Inuyasha."   
  
It took all his restraint not to growl at the woman's hasty judgment, but it appeared to be completely unnecessary as the girl tilted her head suddenly.   
  
"I don't think so, Kaede-baachan. I didn't get the feeling he was trying to be stubborn," the girl started, her nimble fingers tracing gently over the five parallel, barely congealed wounds that ran the length of his stomach even as the old woman moved back to her position above the injured hanyou. "He seemed to be more concerned about the little girl than anything else."   
  
Unable to stop the frown that tugged at his lips, Sesshoumaru turned his head away from the young miko and the strange sensation of those gentle fingers. Concern for Rin? Is that what this foolish Kikyou believed? Let her hide in her imaginings, Sesshoumaru decided even as his body remembered how his heart seemed to fall at his feet when Inuyasha took the blast of energy for the child.   
  
Fed up with the young woman's sentimental suppositions, the demon lord turned back to face her, the full strength of his golden eyes settling on her unique blue ones.   
  
"You've been awake, haven't you?" the girl whispered, only to earn a grunt of confusion from the old miko. The girl glanced over her shoulder, oblivious to the strangely attractive view of her neck and chin she bestowed upon the fallen lord. Stilling the sudden urge to trace the sinuous cords and soft skin with his fingers, Sesshoumaru instead turned his attention to the girl's curious manner.   
  
"He's awake, Kaede-baachan," the girl called out softly.   
  
"Do not speak as if I, Sesshoumaru, were not here," he growled, his normally soft voice rusty from disuse. The girl seemed to jump with his words, but she didn't move from his side like he expected. Instead, she just glared at him as she lifted the cloth experimentally up from his stomach.   
  
The girl only rolled her eyes as she pressed the cloth back against the wounds. "Yuh huh. If you don't want me to ignore you, then don't pretend like you are sleeping when you obviously haven't been."   
  
His eyes narrowed suddenly, dangerously, as the growl started to rumble again in his chest, seemingly of its own accord.   
  
"You just don't give it up, do you?" the girl muttered, her tone less than impressed.   
  
"I see my brother's dreadful taste in women hasn't improved," the youkai bit out, only to feel inexplicably guilty as a shadow of sorrow flitted over the girl's gentle features. Suddenly, he felt his heart twist almost painfully as the girl bestowed a crooked smile upon him, her eyes bright with amusement.   
  
"I suppose it would seem that way, wouldn't it?" the girl admitted, the shadow of hurt that haunted her eyes momentarily usurped by the girl's humour.   
  
_Kikyou._   
  
He was suddenly all too aware of the hand that lay against his stomach, so small and white. It was such an incredible contrast to the vivid blue of her eyes and onyx silk of her hair. Almost involuntarily, he closed his eyes, unwilling to admit the slight attraction he was beginning to feel for this peasant.   
  
"Are you okay?" the girl whispered, evidently noticing the small shiver that ran up his spine as one of her fingers pressed softly directly against his skin.   
  
"I will once you leave me be, woman," Sesshoumaru hissed, suddenly wanting nothing more than to be left alone. Her scent, so strong of flowers and a strange hint of musk, pervaded his every sense until hers was the only thing his sensitive nose could pick up.   
  
No. Something was wrong here. This young lioness, this beguiling mistress of sums had to be an enchantress as well.   
  
And he, the Lord of the Western Lands, would simply not allow himself to fall for her pitiful magics.   
  
"Yeah, yeah. Well, tough. You have to put up with me until I'm done," the girl snorted, her hands working just a tiny bit faster as she cleaned his wounds.   
  
_The infuriating…_   
  
"Kagome, don't harass the patient. Remember he is our guest," the old miko interjected, her voice obviously a soothing balm upon the girl's temper.   
  
Kagome? Perhaps she was one of those strange humans who felt their own insignificant importance so much she insisted on carrying two names?   
  
"Listen to the old woman, Kikyou," he broke in, his own mind wondering at his inexplicable rudeness even as his curiosity refused to be satiated.   
  
"Kikyou?" the girl's face darkened until she positively glared at the demon lord.   
  
Hmm. It was quite an interesting reaction, Sesshoumaru noted as he listened to the way her heart began to pound faster and watched the anger swirl in her eyes.   
  
"Don't call me that," the young human grunted as she pulled her hands away from his chest. He hid the frown as he felt the sudden emptiness- the coldness of her absence.   
  
"I'm going to rest, Kaede-baachan," the girl started, her voice shaking as she pushed herself up to her feet.   
  
Graceful, he acknowledged unwittingly, as he watched her incline her head towards the old miko.   
  
"Good. Thank you for your help. Sweet dreams, Kagome," Kaede smiled comfortingly even as she glanced towards the abandoned patient.   
  
The girl stormed out of the room, leaving the demon lord and the old woman behind.   
  
"If you wish to offend," the woman started even as she wobbled uncertainly towards the fallen youkai, "that is the most efficient way of doing it."   
  
Clucking softly as she glanced over Sesshoumaru's stomach, Kaede spoke softly. "That will need to be …"   
  
"No stitches," the demon lord spoke forcefully as he turned his gaze back to the ceiling.   
  
Kaede nodded as she made her way back to the unconscious dog hanyou. "Very well."   
  
"Kagome," the impertinent woman started, obviously deaf for she completely ignored the youkai's warning growl, "is a sweet, kind child. And right now, she remains your only ally in this village…"   
  
"I, Sesshoumaru, need no one," he snapped, a part of him surprised by his own hostility. "Especially a human."   
  
The old woman just shrugged, the gesture itself seeming futile and hopeless.   
  
"I'm sure you don't," the woman's words admitted, though her tone belied her conviction. "But the little girl…" Kaede muttered, her voice trailing suggestively off.   
  
Sesshoumaru begrudgingly tossed the woman his attention. "Get to the point, woman."   
  
"Kagome carried that little girl for a good five miles back to this village," Kaede started, her voice low and intense. "I have no doubt that a great youkai like yourself could defend himself even while unconscious, but a child of five can hardly claim the same. Do you honestly believe the child would be alive now if not for Kagome's actions? Of course," Kaede snorted as she turned her back on the youkai, "I doubt the welfare of a little girl means much to a youkai lord. But, as Rin does belong to you, I would have to wonder if it's a fitting way to reward Kagome's bravery by ignoring her own identity and calling her that of another."   
  
"If I desired your counsel, miko," the demon glowered as he closed his eyes, "I would have asked for it. But as it is, you bore me with your incessant babbling."   
  
The miko merely huffed and turned her attention to his wound. Ignoring her touch, Sesshoumaru instead found his mind wandering back to the girl.   
  
Her name was actually Kagome.   
  
Unable to stop the frown as he recalled the battle with the Stealer, Sesshoumaru shook his head slowly.   
  
No. Inuyasha had definitely called the wench Kikyou. Surely after these past few years, the hanyou had learned the name of his own companion. So the question remained- why call her a name that wasn't her own?   
  
_Kagome._ Sesshoumaru silently tasted the way the word rolled off his lips. It was unusual but pleasing to the ear, he decided. Yes. Definitely more appropriate for the wench than the rather insipid name of Kikyou.   
  
If Kagome was the young miko's name, then who the hell was Kikyou and why was the name so familiar? What infantile game was his brother playing at?   
  
Barely restraining himself from tossing his unconscious brother a questioning look, Sesshoumaru stared dully at the ceiling as the old woman gently bandaged his wounds.   
  
  


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Response to reviews:   
  
**Stormlight**: Ooops! Hopefully I corrected that enough. :-) I had always intended that Sesshoumaru get injured but unfortunately, it appears I was too subtle with the hints the first time around. Thanks!!  
**Brooke**: Oh, are there some interesting things coming up just for you. ;-)  
**Jaye**: Smell of love? *grin* With the way that poor Sess's blood keeps getting spilled in this story, I wouldn't be surprised if that love you smell really *is* blood.;-)   
**Kimmy**: Eeeek! No Sesshoumaru dying! I dont do sad stories. Okay, fine, I do. But this isn't one of them. :-)  
**Jetflash**: Sorry! No. That was Kagome. Just a little case of mistaken identity.  
**Ice-chan**: Eeek! It really wasn't Kikyou. Obviously, I totally screwed up with this. I need desperately to revise but I can't until I finish the story. (Or else I'll never finish)  
**Alina**: *BOUNCE* Thanks, hon. :-) I am sooo damn glad you think so.  
**Pianita**: *grin* I really need to make the Kikyou/Kagome thing more clear. And niiiiiiice call!  
**Steph**: *makes a huge list of things to work on* You are right. I reread the chapter a few minutes ago and the hanyou bit is way confusing. I need to learn more adjectives.:-) *GRIN* As for Sess's injuries... *gaze*  
**Ranma Inverse**: Thank you, my bud! :-) I didn't mean to, but I sorta vented there. By the bye, I was recently looking over your stories to come to the conclusion that you are as bad as I am when it comes to alternative pairings. Ooo. *nudge* Though, my dear, you neeeeeed to write a Kagome/Sess one. :-) Please! Please! Please!?  
**Avihenda**: There is! :-) (Actually, a hell of a lot more. *pant*) Hope you like!  
**Angry Gen**: *laugh* Ah, forgive Dog-boy. He's had a hard day. Not, of course, as bad as Kagome's, but most men tend to be wusses anyway. *ducks out of the way*  
**Vernal Equinox**: You are suuuuch a flatterer. No wonder why I like you so much! Aw, no worries. Inuyasha needs to earn his redemption. He will. I think. *innocent look*  
**Sammy-chan**: Yes, ma'am! I'm hurrying! :-) Hopefully you wont mind where this is all leading. :-)  
**Neurofreez**: I'm relieved you think so. :-) Well, I mean, that you think the story is interesting. *grin* The fact that the last couple chapters had been confusing as hell don't help. :-) Thanks so much! Oh, man. I can't *wait* to rewrite!  
**Azn Gurl 4 3ver**: I think I've spent more time trying to figure out what the heck your name means than actually plotting this story. :-) Okay! I'll try really hard to be more specific in the future! Thanks!  
**Bakabaka**: Woo HOO! :-) Will do. :-)  
**IC Dragons**: Eeek. Now that's just way flattering coming from you. :-) Itching to write? *innocent look* Does this mean we'll see a new chapter of _IY: The High School Experience _ soonish? *big, glittery eyes* Please? Please?  
**No One**: *grin* No worries. You'll know the end (which isn't coming for a while) when you see it. :-) As for poor Sesshoumaru's arm... *grin* just assume that he has a suitable replacement. :-) Thanks!  
  
  
  
Woo! Things are starting to happen!  
  



	14. Chapter 13

**Title:** Falling Stars  
**Author:** Celyia (ladycelyia@aol.com)  
**Genre:** Romance  
**Disclaimer:** Rumiko Takahashi still owns all. :-)   
**Dedication:** To all those who enjoy the journey.  
**Note:** I admit it. This chapter is needlessly silly. Okay, stupid really. :-) So just ignore it. I know I plan to. Chapter 14 should be up soon.  
  
-Cel.  
  


* * *

  
  
  
**Chapter 13**   
  
  
The little girl sat there, alone with the ancient youkai, her lower lip trembling as she listened to the gnarled creature's thoughtless words.   
  
The man frowned, his purple-clad arms folded across his chest, as he watched the village's children stare at the child with the dirty face and wild black hair.   
  
Children shouldn't be forced to sit still on a beautiful day like this, he decided as he stopped dead in his tracks. Children should be running around, playing, enjoying their lives when they can. Even, the man thought as his brown eyes scanned over the small form in the torn kimono, little human girls who tag along after youkai lords.   
  
"Shippou," the man said suddenly, his mouth pulling into a mischievous smile as he turned to the young youkai who stood to his side. Like the other children of the village, Miroku noted with pleasure, Shippou too seemed to be intrigued by the unusual girl.   
  
"Yeah?" the kitsune asked, his wide eyes turned up to look at the houshi with interest.   
  
The man smiled innocently as he inclined his head towards the little girl.   
  
"She looks bored."   
  
The kitsune bounced excitedly, his words coming out in a rush. "But the toad is SUCH a jerk! Maeki and Satsumi already tried to get her to play with them and all, but the toad just bopped them on the head with that ugly staff."   
  
Miroku nodded his head in agreement as he watched his prey continue to scold the child. "Yeah, he hasn't stopped lecturing her all morning."   
  
Smiling widely as he tapped his index finger against his mouth, Miroku stared gamely at the little boy. "What do you think, Shippou, if we show the toad how things are done in our village?"   
  
The kitsune shouted happily as he leapt up on the man's strong shoulder. Tilting his head close to Miroku's mouth, Shippou grinned evilly as he listened to the priest's cunning mind at work.   
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
"Oh, and then what would this servant do?" the toad youkai sighed wearily as he sat upon the ground. With the thin shaft of the Staff of Heads laid across his lap, Jaken rested his pointed chin in his small hands.   
  
Rin winced as she watched the tears of anguish run down the old youkai's face. Normally, she would have just ignored Jaken's outburst, but today was different.   
  
If it hadn't been for her, Sesshoumaru-sama wouldn't be hurt.   
  
Silently, she passed the handkerchief the demon lord insisted she always keep (for some reason, he didn't like her to use the sleeves of her kimono) to the grieving youkai.   
  
Jaken accepted the dirty white rag and dabbed quite daintily at his eyes.   
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama! Sesshoumaru-sama!" the retainer cried, his rough voice choked up.   
  
The little girl frowned violently, her lower lip trembling as she tried desperately not to cry.   
  
"Oh, great youkai!" a man stepped humbly before them, his dark purple robes flowing about his legs gracefully even as he bowed deeply. "You are Jaken, the loyal retainer of the great Sesshoumaru-sama?"   
  
Rin tilted her head curiously as she watched Jaken puff up with pride.   
  
"I am, lowly human."   
  
The man bowed again.   
  
"I have been sent by the great Sesshoumaru-sama," the priest said. "He bids you to return to him but said for you to leave the child here."   
  
Jaken was up in a flash, nearly bouncing around at the idea that his master needed him.   
  
Rin sniffled, at once ecstatic that the youkai was okay but also devastated that Sesshoumaru-sama didn't wish to see her. He really was upset! Sadly, she looked up at the young priest, her eyes watering with unfamiliar tears as she watched him speak with Jaken.   
  
The priest, in the middle of yet another bow, seemed to notice the little girl's devastation. The full weight of his brown-eyed gaze fell upon the girl for merely a moment, causing the little girl to blush slightly.   
  
She wasn't used to humans looking at her with such kindness in their eyes.   
  
"In fact," the man continued as he seemed to be watching Rin out of the corner of his eye, "Sesshoumaru-sama mentioned that he wanted you to start preparing for an attack and I was to show you what needed to be done."   
  
Her head shot up as she looked at houshi warily. Sesshoumaru-sama would never say something like that! Why, this priest was trying to trick them! The little girl opened her mouth to say that very thing when the strangest thing happened.   
  
The priest winked at her!   
  
"We should do as Sesshoumaru-sama bid…"   
  
"Yes, yes," the youkai muttered enthusiastically, his small, green hands rubbing together.   
  
It didn't make sense.   
  
An uncustomary frown tugged at her lips as Jaken turned a stern glare at the girl.   
  
"Rin, stay here. I must go see to Sesshoumaru-sama."   
  
"But Jaken!" the girl started, only to stop abruptly as she felt a small paw tug on the bottom of her kimono. "Rin will stay here," she finished, her curiosity overwhelming her sense as she watched the small hand that protruded from the ugly bush that had suddenly appeared beside her. Bush? That thing wasn't like any plant she had ever seen before!   
  
Instinctively, she stepped in front of the bush, smiling innocently at the short youkai. But Jaken, who was completely oblivious, only nodded, the Staff of Heads clutched to his chest as if it were a deformed teddy bear. With a curt nod to one another, the two adults hurried off, leaving a somewhat bewildered Rin all alone in the center of the village, with only her thoughts and a strange, pawed bush for company.   
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
The toad demon looked utterly confused, his wrinkled snout twitching almost painfully even as he crawled out of the freezing water.  
  
"This humble servant doesn't understand…"   
  
Miroku bit back a laugh as he waited until the little creature's back was turned and sprayed a whiff of Kagome-sama's wonderful liquid flower water upon the gnarled youkai.   
  
No. Still didn't help.   
  
The gods (and undoubtedly Kagome) would forgive him his trespass, that Miroku had no doubt as he twisted off the strange soft glass cap (Kagome-sama called the pink tinted stuff plastic) and dumped the entire contents upon the creature's head.   
  
"Hey! What was THAT for, you disgusting human?"   
  
"The great Sesshoumaru-sama desired that you go on a secret mission…" Miroku banished the amusement from his face as he watched the doubt flicker through the youkai's bulging eyes.   
  
"But why did Jaken take a bath for it? I have already taken one this year!"   
  
Miroku tsked sadly as he shook his head. "The sacrifices we must make to please our masters."   
  
The youkai snorted, shrugging his thin shoulders as he sniffed the air. "It is the loyal servant's place to sacrifice for his master. But oh, Sesshoumaru-sama! He kills Jaken to experiment. He tells Jaken to watch the child. He won't let Jaken deal with the humans that run rampant. And he tells Jaken to take a bath twice in one year… And what is that dreadful smell?"   
  
Miroku chuckled as he patted the youkai amiably upon the back.   
  
"You, my friend. You can't think of entering human company without taking one…"   
  
The youkai blanched suddenly, his green face turning strange shades of white and orange almost simultaneously.   
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama wishes his humble servant to deal with… with humans?" he asked, his mouth scowling at the last word as if it were a blasphemous curse.   
  
Almost merrily, Miroku nodded.   
  
"Yes, my friend! In fact, the great Sesshoumaru-sama wants you to do as the humans do, in fact!"   
  
The youkai looked suspiciously at the priest.   
  
"You lie."   
  
Miroku smiled innocently as he pulled a bundle out from behind his back and tossed it at the youkai retainer.   
  
"I'm offended. I am, sir, a monk."   
  
Jaken tilted his head as he quickly examined the contents of the bundle, only to look completely horrified as he pulled the clothing free.   
  
"Monks. They are religious leaders, are they not?"   
  
Miroku nodded slowly, forcing his face to look as devout as possible.   
  
The retainer sighed as he looked at the clothing.   
  
Seizing opportunity, the houshi pounced on it as if he were a tomcat hunting a particularly dense magpie.   
  
"I know this is a great sacrifice… no, no. Turn it around. You don't wear it like that. Oh, good. It fits. Yes, it's a great sacrifice (for us all), but Sesshoumaru-sama insisted that you were the only one he trusted to find out this information…"   
  
The youkai's head perked up, instantly alert as he looked almost dreamily at the monk. Miroku smiled warily, forcing himself to ignore the shivers that ran up his spine.   
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama said that?"   
  
"Yes, my friend."   
  
"Then this humble servant will not disappoint him… hmm… does this make me look fat?" the toad demon asked uncertainly as he turned around in the woman's kimono.   
  
"Yes."   
  
"Oh, good. I would not want to appear attractive to the males of your species."   
  
"I don't think you will have to worry about that."   
  
The toad looked slightly affronted for a moment, but then nodded slowly.   
  
"Are you certain the females of this village are planning a revolt?"   
  
The monk nodded emphatically as he placed a short wig upon the scaly, bald head.   
  
"That's our mission, Jaken-sama, if you choose to accept it. We need to infiltrate the females' headquarters and retrieve all the information Sesshoumaru-sama needs…"   
  
"And me dressing up as a female will help how…?"   
  
"I do not question your master, Jaken-sama. I am surprised you do," the houshi scolded, only to bite away the smile that wanted to curve his lips. "All I know is that a cute human child can go places that a brave youkai retainer cannot."   
  
"Cute human child? Like… like Rin?"   
  
Miroku laughed suddenly, unable to help himself. "Yes, exactly like Rin. Be sure to act like the girl and I'm certain we will gather all the information your master needs."   
  
The youkai sighed fatalistically as he bent down to pluck a dying daisy from the forest floor. Grumbling the entire time, he placed it within the folds of his kimono.   
  
"Let us hurry, houshi. Lead the way to these rebellious human females."   
  
Miroku grinned as he straightened the youkai's black wig. "Yes, Jaken-chan…"   
  
"Jaken-chan?"   
  
"Human child, remember? Oh, and remember, act cute."   
  
Cute? Miroku wondered at his words as he looked down upon the small youkai.   
  
In Jaken's case, that was quite impossible. But he could use that to his favour, Miroku decided as he grinned evilly down at the retainer. Yes, this may work out after all.   
  
  
  
  


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Response to reviews:   
  
**Monmon**: Woo HOO! :-) Thanks! I'm way glad you think so. :-)  
**Pianita**: Oh, YEAH! Inuyasha *is* in this story too. I keep forgetting to use him. *innocent look* Thanks!  
**Steph**: Oooo. Do I have a chapter coming up for you. ;-) Muahaha. I can't wait to see your response to Chap 14.  
**Sd_Tenshi**: Thanks! :-) Sorry about taking so long to update!  
**Brooke**: Shhhhhh! Don't be so perceptive. *GRIN* You'll see what happened!  
**Chibi Tenshi**: I'll try to be slightly more faster than a snail next time. (Yeah, riiiiight. ;-) Yeah, Tamysan's stories are just *wonderful*! I've been checking nearly every day to see if she has updated Demon Lord's Lair yet, but no such luck! *pout* By the bye, consider reading Shun'u's incredible Full Circle fic. That's the one that made me like Sess/Kagome.  
**Vernal Equinox**: *laugh* Thanks! :-) Yeah, Sess is gonna have to redeem himself. Somehow. *tries to look innocent but only manages to look guilty as hell* Oh! As a matter of fact, I *was* in San Jose for a day. Campbell to be specific. My family has a house in Modesto so I go up to San Jose often... perhaps once to twice a month.  
**Stormlight**: Thank you, m'dear! :-)  
**Natalie**: *bounce* Thank you! I'm glad you think so!  
**Voldersnort**: *grin* Hmm.. Kagome and Sesshoumaru? or Kagome and Inuyasha... decisions, decisions, decisions. *tease* Okay, to be somewhat serious and to put your mind at ease- you should have no doubt where its heading with the next chapter. ;-) Feel better?  
**Ice-Chan**: Silly Sesshou! Life would be SO much easier if he just asked instead of assuming.  
**Winter**: Danke! That's such a great compliment! Thank you so much!  
**Sammy-chan**: *grin* Oh, I thought you made perfect sense. He is a pretty bad actor, isn't he? :-)  
**Capilaria**: *bounce* Thank you so much! That's really sweet of you. *innocent look* I think I just may take your advice.  
**Neurofreez**: Oh, no worries. I'm not very clear. I've been writing this at usually about 3-4am so I'm not always coherent. Thanks! Hope you like what's coming up. ;-) I really hope so!  
**No One**: I suspect Sesshoumaru may find out why Kagome does not like to be called that. :-) We still have a good 8 chapters (I think) to go before this is finished, so we've got time to delve into that later. As for the speed, sorry about that! I'll try to do better!  
**No.99**: You are suuuuch a flatterer. And I completely adore you for that. :-) Thank you so much! And I agree! I think I prefer K/Sess fics but I'm still waiting for IY/Ka to have a happy ending in the manga! And don't be quiet! I bounce each time I read your review!  
**SR Silverhawk**: Thanks! :-) I wish I could write longer, but I'd end up taking even more time to update than I already do! *faint* Hope you don't mind too much!  
**BakaBaka**: Exactly! The way I see it, Sesshoumaru has never given a damn about Kagome in the past so although he may have heard her name mentioned, he probably wouldn't pay too much attention to it. Somehow, I think that makes things a bit more fun when it comes to a romance.  
**Rymsie**: Wow. :-) Stuff like that really makes me feel cool. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!! I hope you continue to enjoy this. I'd hate to disappoint! As for good old Romeo and Juliet... perish the thought. Didn't they die in the end? *innocent look* No, no. This story is based roughly off a more successful literary couple. Kudos if you can figure out who! :-) Thanks, Rymsie!   
  
  
I think you'll like next chapter. Hang in there and try to blank this terrible one from your mind!  
  



	15. Chapter 14

**Title:** Falling Stars  
**Author:** Celyia (ladycelyia@aol.com)  
**Genre:** Romance  
**Disclaimer:** Rumiko Takahashi still owns all. :-)   
**Dedication:** To all those who enjoy the journey.  
**Note:** Originally, this chapter and the next were combined, but I'm can't get a certain conversation right so I split it up to give you something to read while I fiddle with this. With any luck, Chapter 15 (which will be fairly short) will be posted in the morning.   
  
-Cel.  
  


* * *

  
  
  
**Chapter 14**   
  
  
Kaede shook her head slowly as she listened to the sounds of the demon lord stirring.   
  
"You shouldn't be moving so soon," the old woman stated, her worn form suddenly at his side. Ignoring his scowl (_really, he is just as bad as his brother_), Kaede slowly helped the youkai into a sitting position.   
  
"Since you wouldn't allow me to stitch up your wounds, the clots won't hold through any activity," the miko said even as she examined the bandages around Sesshoumaru's injured stomach.   
  
"Hmm. These will have to be changed," Kaede looked up at the demon, only to jump slightly back at the intensity of the golden eyes that stared back down at her.   
  
_My, he is quite a handsome fellow indeed._   
  
Huffing away the stray thought, Kaede placed her hands upon the youkai's muscled chest, only to look up inquisitively at Sesshoumaru as he brushed away her hands.   
  
"I, Sesshoumaru, will see to those who would call themselves my companions," he intoned, each word a powerful command that would have intimidated a lesser miko.   
  
"They are quite fine," Kaede grumbled. "But you are not. Your injuries won't heal…" she stopped suddenly as she realized the youkai wasn't listening. Curiously, she looked at his face and those magnetic eyes that were staring dully ahead.   
  
No. That wasn't quite right. If she didn't know better, Kaede would have sworn that the nefarious youkai was examining his fallen brother out of the corner of his eye.   
  
Biting back a chuckle as she noticed a hint of emotion (_it couldn't be concern? The animosity between the brothers was legendary even a half-century before_) that furrowed the moon-emblazoned brow, Kaede lowered her head with false humility.   
  
"But you may be correct. You are a full demon lord and will heal a lot faster than your brother," Kaede paused as she stole a look up at the youkai. _No, if it is concern, then he hides it well._ She waited a moment for him to reply, to ask anything, but Sesshoumaru was silent.   
  
"Inuyasha, on the other hand, took poorly to the burst of miasma. In fact, I'm quite surprised he survived the attack," she continued, leaving the rest unsaid. She watched his face carefully as he processed this information, but the beautiful features never changed.   
  
Sighing, she turned away from the youkai and looked down at her unconscious patient. Her chest ached as she recognized the disappointment that suddenly usurped her heart. For a brief moment there, Kaede had been certain that there was more to the hanyou's older brother than they had originally assumed. That maybe he cared for something other than his own skin. That perhaps something drove him other than a desire to possess a sword he should never have.   
  
Instead, he was like a beautiful doll- cold and lifeless, indifferent to those who held him dear.   
  
"The child," he said abruptly, interrupting the old miko's thoughts with a start. "The child lives?"   
  
Kaede cocked her head with interest as she turned to face Sesshoumaru. The youkai's voice, so even and modulated, sounded even now as if he were disinterested in the little Rin's fate, but the clenched fists at his sides belied his tone.   
  
"Thanks to the efforts of Inuyasha and Kagome, the child is alive and healthy," Kaede said, watching as the fists slowly relaxed and loosened.   
  
Sesshoumaru nodded once as he strode to the exit, his magnificent tail flying gracefully with his movement. Injured or not, the youkai was definitely quite a feast for the eyes.   
  
Unaccountably, he paused at the exit, his face impassive even as he stared straight ahead.   
  
"For your care, I, Sesshoumaru, thank you."   
  
And with those simple words, the youkai lord stalked out of the hut, leaving the old miko alone to her surprise.   
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
"Hey," the bush spoke suddenly, its leaves shivering as it spoke. "What's your name?"   
  
The girl cocked her head as she considered the plant carefully.   
  
"Rin. Did you know you have a paw?"   
  
The bush chuckled, its branches moving slowly at the girl. "That's because I'm a kitsune."   
  
The little girl raised an eyebrow as she looked at the small bush. Slowly, she walked around the bush slowly, tilting her head this way and that as she looked it over.   
  
"You kind of look like a bush to me."   
  
"That's what you think. Watch!" the bush promised, only to disappear in a puff of smoke.   
  
Rin giggled as a small boy appeared before her, his red hair mussed as he bowed low.   
  
"Told you I wasn't a bush," the kitsune grinned even as he dropped a small leaf inside a pouch.   
  
"You're weird," Rin proclaimed as she examined the boy carefully. "Hey, you are a youkai."   
  
The boy grinned mischievously, his eyes lighting up as he looked the girl over.   
  
"Yeah. You scared?"   
  
Rin shook her head wildly, giggling as nudged the boy. "Why would I be scared? You are weird and silly."   
  
"Am not."   
  
"You are, too. What's your name?"   
  
The kitsune bowed again. "Shippou."   
  
"Who was that man from before? The one Sesshoumaru-sama sent?"   
  
Shippou shook his head as he hopped down off the rock. "That's Miroku. He's a houshi, you know. And Sesshoumaru didn't send him. Sesshoumaru is still sleeping."   
  
Rin frowned as she considered this information. "He's still asleep? But Sesshoumaru-sama never sleeps this much."   
  
Shippou shrugged his shoulders as he gestured for the girl to follow.   
  
"That's just what Kagome told me last night," he said, the wind ruffling his hair as he waited for Rin to catch up.   
  
Rin ran up to Shippou's side, her eyebrows knitted together as she examined the boy carefully. "Can we see him? Make sure he's okay?"   
  
Shippou shook his head as he started walking slowly to one of the huts. "Naaaah. Kaede-baachan won't let us in but I guess we could go ask Kagome. She'd know. She knows everything. And if she doesn't know, she'd find out. She's good at that, you know."   
  
Rin nodded, feeling reassured by Shippou's confident manner. Suddenly, she smiled as she watched the small kitsune bounce and dart away towards one of the crumbling huts.   
  
She cocked her head as she waited, only to feel strangely happy as the boy turned around and waved.   
  
Giggling with a joy that seemed to fill her chest, Rin broke into a sprint as she went to catch up with the child youkai.   
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
_She stood alone, the wind whistling around her until her hair wavered in the breeze.   
  
She lifted her chin defiantly, biting her lip as she willed with all her soul for the strength not to cry.   
  
"Come on!" Inuyasha shouted, his eyes sparkling with happiness for once as he waved at her. "Come on!"   
  
She couldn't help it.   
  
She burst into tears as she ran forward, her arms outstretched as she reached for the young hanyou.   
  
Abruptly, she froze in her steps as she watched the beautiful woman with the dead eyes walk right into Inuyasha's waiting arms.   
  
"Inuyasha?" Kagome whispered, her breath coming harder even as she found herself unable to move from the woman's shadow.   
  
"Inuyasha!" she screamed, her heart pounding in her chest as she watched the hanyou nuzzle his face in the beautiful brunette's neck.   
  
The brunette just turned back to Kagome and smiled.   
  
"Kikyou…"   
  
Kikyou nodded, a cruel smile twisting her lips as she looked at Kagome.   
  
"They will never see you," Kikyou started even as she cuddled in closer to the completely oblivious Inuyasha. "Their eyes only look at you to see the remnants of me that lie within. They will never hear you, other than to hear my voice in your words. They search for you in hopes of finding me."   
  
"You lie," Kagome spit out, her hands clenched to her sides as she forced herself to walk forward out of Kikyou's overwhelming shadow.   
  
"Inuyasha!" the young woman screamed, her voice hoarse as she willed him to look at her. To see her. To prove Kikyou wrong.   
  
The dog demon looked up, his golden eyes clouded over with confusion as they settled upon her lithe form.   
  
"Who are you?" he asked warily. "Kikyou?"   
  
"This is not happening. It's not true," Kagome growled as she ignored the tears that insisted on welling up in her eyes as Inuyasha turned away from her and back to the breast of the dead woman.   
  
Kikyou shook her head slowly, the cruelty melting away from her eyes for just a moment as she considered the girl.   
  
"Is it, Kagome? I had this soul first in this world. You walk in my time, in my life, 500 years away from your own. You are the trespasser here, not me. Go back to your own time, Kagome. Go back to a world that will only see the Kagome in this soul, and not the Kikyou hiding. Go back."   
  
"I…" Kagome lifted her hands to her face, wincing as light glittered through her transparent fingers.   
  
"You aren't real here. Go back."   
  
"I am real," Kagome insisted as she now ignored Inuyasha and instead focused completely on the dead woman.   
  
"He doesn't love you."   
  
"That will change."   
  
"It hasn't changed in three years. What makes you think tomorrow will be any different?"   
  
"Because I love him."   
  
Kikyou laughed, the sound harsh yet heartbreaking. "Do you really?"   
  
Kagome closed her eyes as she felt the world begin to melt away.   
  
"I used to."   
  
The older miko placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, the contact at once freezing and comforting.   
  
"Go on. Don't be content being Inuyasha's Kikyou."   
  
"I'm Kagome."   
  
"Then prove it. Be Kagome. Don't settle for less."   
  
The girl stood silently, suddenly alone as she looked around at the world that was drowning in the haze and bright light.   
  
"I am Kagome."_   
  
  
  
Kagome sat up, pushing the tattered sleeping bag from her body. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she yawned as she looked around the room, only to jump as she saw the two pairs of eyes staring back at her.   
  
"You awake yet, Kagome-chan?"   
  
The young woman felt her lips tug into an impromptu smile as she looked at the two earnest faces that peered so curiously at her.   
  
"Hi, Shippou-chan. You met Rin already?"   
  
The little girl's brown eyes widened as she looked at the kitsune.   
  
"You're right," Rin whispered behind a hand to her partner in crime. "She does know everything."   
  
Shippou grinned cockily.   
  
"Told you so."   
  
"You told her what, Shippou-chan?" Kagome broke in as she peeled the sleeping bag away.   
  
"Told her you'd know how Inuyasha's brother was doing."   
  
Kagome nodded as she pushed herself to her feet, hiding the sudden grimace as she remembered his words to her last night. "Oh, Rin-chan. He's okay. He just needs some sleep right now."   
  
The little girl with the precocious brown eyes just cocked her head doubtfully.   
  
"Promise?"   
  
Kagome kneeled to the ground as she brushed a straggle of black hair away from Rin's pretty face. "I promise," she intoned gravely. "In fact, I'll take you to see him in a little bit, okay? We'll just let him get a little more sleep first because he's not feeling so well."   
  
The little girl exhaled, her shoulders falling forward as if a million tons had been taken off of her.   
  
"Really?"   
  
"I promise," Kagome couldn't help but smile. "But for right now, go outside you two. I got to get cleaned up and dressed first, okay?"   
  
Rin nodded violently, her hand suddenly latched onto Shippou's shoulder as she dragged him outside.   
  
"Okay!"   
  
Kagome giggled as she watched the children leave, her heart suddenly feeling lighter as she realized that although Inuyasha may never see her as anything more than Kikyou's shadow, the children would never see her as anything less than Kagome.   
  
And for one brief moment, that's all that seemed to matter.   
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
Response to reviews:   
  
**Monmon**: Man, is Rin haaaard to write. :-) Its hard to even attempt to stay in character with a char you aren't really familiar with. As for Sesshoumaru's reaction, *grin* wait until Chap 15.  
**Kimmy**: Poor Jaken indeed. I have the sneaking suspicion that things are gonna get a little worse for our favourite retainer before they get better. :-)  
**Ranma Inverse**: Thanks, cutie! *grin* And no more just pondering! Write! Write! Write! Seriously! You come up with all these totally cool stories anyway, so I can't wait to see what damage you'd do to a *grin* Kagamaru if you tried. :-)  
**Lady Rissa**: I'm glad you like, Ms Humble Reader. :-) Thank you!  
**Steph**: *grin* Chapter you'll probably like will be 15. :-) Well, I hope you'll like it, anyway. As for Sango... *grin* hmm. I don't know. Maybe Jaken-chan will find her for us. *innocent look* And man, I'm glad you think it was funny. I wasn't sure if I could pull it off. :-)  
**MoonAngel**: Thanks so much! Coming from a writer as talented as you, that's way cool. Thanks!  
**Misao**: *grin* *doesn't mind so much if Miroku keeps his hands to himself* *drool* And thank you! I certainly hope you do enjoy the next chapter!   
**Voldersnort**: Your apprehensions lessened yet? ;-) Darn, guess not. Chapter 15! I promise, enlightenment in Chapter 15!  
**Vernal Equinox**: How funny! So I've been visiting your city all along! What a trip. :-) And man, you are such a flatterer! I so hope this next chapter lives up to your expectations.  
**Brooke**: Woo! I don't think Jaken would agree with you, but then, I don't think his opinion means as much as yours, anyway. ;-) Thanks!  
**Kylara**: Thank you *SO* much! I can't tell you how flattered I feel now! *bounces around like Thumper on LSD* As for the Kikyou/Kagome thing, I completely forgot about the smell deal. IY *did* say that, didn't he? But that's cool. Kikyou still hasn't made an appearance in this story (just a case of mistaken identity before) and probably won't. Thanks so much for reviewing!  
**Chelsea Deanne**: Miroku is pure evil, isn't he? :-) As for Sesshoumaru, I suppose in a demon's long life, he sees many strange things... but somehow, I suspect this scenario would probably take the cake. :-)  
**Sammy-chan**: *GRIN* *evil laugh* Danke!  
**Winter**: You have totally made my night. :-) Thank you!  
  
  
  
Okay, folks. Keep your eyes peeled for Chapters 15 and 16. In those two, *EVERYTHING* changes. I seriously hope you like where it goes!   
  



	16. Chapter 15

**Title:** Falling Stars  
**Author:** Celyia (ladycelyia@aol.com)  
**Genre:** Romance  
**Disclaimer:** Rumiko Takahashi still owns all. :-)   
**Dedication:** To all those who enjoy the journey.  
**Note:** Okay, this was originally written as a part of Chapter 14 but I split it up into Chapter 14 and 15 when I realised that the latter half was going to take forever to make adequate. Sorry about the long wait but it wasnt until this morning when it finally dawned on me just exactly how I was screwing up. It isn't great, but it will do. :-) By the bye, keep an eye out for Chapter 16. I hope to get that out soon but considering how long 15 took, no promises. :-)  
  
-Cel.  
  


* * *

  
  
  
**Chapter 15**   
  
  
Sesshoumaru shook his head slowly as he watched the commotion of everyday life continue in the small village.   
  
They seemed to be perfectly oblivious to him- these odd beings that should be bowing low before his magnificence instead of working and playing as if he didn't exist.   
  
It was bewildering, he admitted as he smoothed the ruffled fur of his tail, but oddly freeing. For the first time in his long life, he had the power to walk unremarked through the village, his curious eyes seeking answers to questions he had never before realized he had.   
  
After all, the only humans he had ever seen before had either cowered in terror or had thrown their frail bodies at his feet in reverence. To see this entirely new side of their pitiful lives was enlightening, if not somewhat humbling.   
  
Silently, he stalked through the village, his chin held up proudly even as his eyes searched and assimilated every minute piece of information that he pretended not to see. Sesshoumaru didn't quite know what it was he was looking for (or, actually, where he was headed) but his instincts insisted that if he kept walking, he'd find it.   
  
Abruptly, his ears swiveled as he caught the faint sound of high-pitched giggling somewhere to the north. A small sniff to the air proved his instinct was correct.   
  
The laughter was Rin's.   
  
He could actually feel the joy in her sweet voice, the light trill boiling his blood as his head swung automatically towards the north. He stood there, oblivious to the white hands that clenched slowly into fists as he concentrated on banishing the strange feeling that burst through his veins. He wasn't the only one capable of making Rin happy. The fool that he was, he had always assumed that the child smiled for him. Because of him.   
  
He should just gather Jaken and leave now. The girl didn't need to go with them. She was, in all honesty, more trouble than what she was worth. His mouth curled into a sour frown as he found his feet automatically following the sound, a part of him wondering why he bothered when the truth was the girl would be happier here with her own kind than traveling with a couple youkai.   
  
He would leave her here, Sesshoumaru decided suddenly as he forced himself to ignore the sudden twisting in his heart. She belonged here.   
  
There was no reason to allow the child to trail him across the land when she could survive and thrive here. And he didn't need her.   
  
He needed no one.   
  
With his chin thrust out proudly, he stalked towards the voices, wondering if it would be better to say goodbye or to just leave. Undoubtedly, he should just leave. A clean break would be best for her; not to mention, he didn't feel like dealing with the inevitable tears. (_What if she didn't cry?_) Truly, it was quite odd that he had never considered leaving Rin with humans in the past. She was one of them, after all. She belonged here.   
  
No. He wouldn't say goodbye. He would leave. And just leave now.   
  
Several minutes later, Sesshoumaru frowned ferociously as he looked around the brilliant greens and yellows of the forest.   
  
They had let Rin wander out this far?   
  
Who the hell would let children play so far from the safety of the village? Not that he would ever get angry over the sake of a mere human, but it seemed incredibly foolhardy that he had actually considered leaving Rin to the care of people like this. No. This wouldn't do at all.   
  
Maybe he'd leave her in the next village then, he thought as he ignored the satisfaction pounding in his chest. If, Sesshoumaru quickly added the caveat, they proved to be capable of taking care of Rin. After all, he had spent several years protecting the child. It would hardly suit if she died now due to neglect and it was obvious that these people were ignorant of the care necessary to raise a bright, curious child.   
  
Smiling faintly at his impeccable reasoning, Sesshoumaru stepped out from behind the trees into a rather beautiful meadow hidden in the heart of the forest. Bright sunlight shimmered between the thick, star-shaped leaves, the golden rays sparkling as they fell upon the mottled, tall grass sprawling across the length of the meadow. Colorful flowers of every sort, including species he had never before seen, poked up between the blades of dark green. In the very center of it all was a small, rickety old well that had long been overrun by the presence of thick vines of ivy that twisted their way in and out from between the wooden panels. Attractive, yes, but it wasn't the beauty of the environment that caused him to stop dead in his tracks or that made his pulse speed up just a little bit.   
  
She kneeled there, her slender back leaning against the wooden well, the morning breeze whispering through her black mane even as she bestowed a bright smile upon the child who shoved the clumsily fashioned wreath beneath the young woman's nose.   
  
"Wow, you really picked that up fast, Rin," Kagome praised as she nodded her head in encouragement.   
  
"Do you think Sesshoumaru-sama will like it?" the little girl asked, her wild hair bouncing even as she shifted nervously from foot to foot, her anxiety earning a small smile from the youkai who watched from the cover of the trees.   
  
The woman smoothed the girl's hair down affectionately, her mouth pulling up at the corner crookedly.   
  
"Yes, Rin-chan. Don't you agree, Shippou-chan?"   
  
"Feh. This is dumb," the young kitsune snorted arrogantly, his wide eyes averted as he tried to keep from looking at the wreath too overtly.   
  
"He's only saying that 'cuz he can't do it, Kagome-chan," Rin stated smugly, taking the opportunity to poke her tongue out at the boy.   
  
The young woman seemed to ponder Rin's statement, her head cocked to the side. "Hmm. No, I'm sure Shippou-chan could make one if he tried hard enough. Want to give it a shot, Shippou-chan?"   
  
Shippou shook his head vehemently. "No way! I'm only here to protect you, anyway…"   
  
Sesshoumaru cocked an eyebrow at the young youkai's words, amused that at least one person in the group had some sense, even if it had come from a child.   
  
"… I'm not going to waste my time doing girlie stuff."   
  
Kagome rolled her eyes as she fell back onto her haunches. Instinctively, she pulled Rin onto her lap as she smiled wryly at the kitsune.   
  
"Girlie, eh. What's so girlie about making wreaths?"   
  
Shippou snorted indignantly, his eyes rolling up to the heavens as if he were pleading for patience.   
  
"Oh, come on! Wreaths? Please! The next thing you'll have me doing is playing with dolls!" he spit out in disgust, only to earn a look of confusion on Rin's face.   
  
"Dolls?"   
  
Kagome seemed to be taken aback by the girl's innocent question, her full lips pulling into a pout as she squeezed Rin affectionately.   
  
"What? You too stupid to know what a doll is?" the kitsune grumbled, clearly annoyed.   
  
Sesshoumaru growled, stepping out of the cover of the trees. That pup needed to be taught a lesson…   
  
"I'd say it's more likely that she's been too busy to learn," Kagome stated dryly, her voice stopping the youkai lord in his tracks. "After all, how much time could she have to play with dolls if she's adventuring with Sesshoumaru-sama?"   
  
"Yeah!" the little girl stuck her tongue out again, her innocent gloating somewhat amusing to the youkai lord.   
  
Shippou just huffed as he crawled up on Kagome's shoulder.   
  
"Girls. They are all soooo weird."   
  
"You sound like my little brother," Kagome grinned as she tousled the messy red hair with an affectionate hand. "If it helps, we girls think the same thing about you boys."   
  
"Feh!"   
  
The young woman chuckled, the sound musical and sweet.   
  
"So you really don't know what a doll is, Rin-chan?" Kagome asked suddenly, her blue eyes gentle.   
  
The little girl shook her head.   
  
"Hmm. Wait right here," Kagome said, her voice low. Silently, she stood up, displacing the children from her arms as she winked conspiringly. Then suddenly, she leapt over the side of the ancient well with an inborn athleticism that Sesshoumaru would have never thought the girl would possess.   
  
The little girl made a strange, garbled sound, something between a laugh and a scream, even as her eyes peered over the edge of the well.   
  
"It's okay," the kitsune muttered as he patted her awkwardly upon her back. "She'll be back in a minute."   
  
"But she's not down there," Rin stated, apparently unable to take her eyes away from the well.   
  
"Yeah. Weird, huh? That's where Kagome lives, you know," Shippou stated, earning raised eyebrows from both Rin and the youkai watching from the sanctuary of the trees.   
  
"Miss me?" Sesshoumaru heard a voice ask even as a dark head peeped up from above the moldy, wooden construct surrounding the well.   
  
"Kagome-chan!" Rin called out, throwing her small body into the woman's arms even as Kagome pulled herself free from the well.   
  
Kagome giggled, oblivious to the fear in the child's eyes.   
  
"Close your eyes, Rin," the woman whispered, her eyes as brilliant as the twilight sky. Yes, Sesshoumaru thought as he watched Rin close her eyes obediently, the miko is rather pretty. If one's taste (undoubtedly poor) ran towards humans.   
  
Grinning widely, Kagome stuffed a small, plainly clothed figure into the girl's tiny hands, only to burst into laughter at Rin's amazed expression.   
  
"There you go," Kagome said proudly, her smile magnificent as she watched Rin, who was instinctively holding the doll to her heart and cuddle it. "That's my favourite doll in the entire world. My mama gave it to me when I was about your age, I think."   
  
"Really?" the child asked, her eyes wide as she looked at the woman curiously.   
  
"Really," Kagome smiled, tapping the child's nose with the tip of her finger.   
  
Rin, her lips tugged into an ecstatic smile, lifted the doll up to the air, her eyes seeming to burn each worn, ragged feature into memory.   
  
"Oh, Kagome-chan! She's so beautiful!" the child spurted to Sesshoumaru's surprise, obviously seeing something in the bundle of rags and thread that he didn't.   
  
"Good! Okay, you gotta name her now," Kagome instructed, her sumptuous lips pulling up in amusement.   
  
Rin looked started as she went to hand the doll back to the woman.   
  
"Name her?"   
  
"Yeah. Name her. She'll need a good name, you know, especially since she'll be going everywhere with you from now on."   
  
The child's jaw dropped, her sweet face glowing beatifically as she wrapped her chubby arms around Kagome's neck in pure joy.   
  
"Really?" Rin repeated, the excitement in her voice nearly contagious.   
  
Kagome hugged her tightly, rocking the child back and forth slowly as she planted a kiss on the top of the girl's head.   
  
"Promise."   
  
Sesshoumaru frowned, his eyes drinking in the charming scene even as his heart shied away from it. Undoubtedly the woman meant her words, but … Sesshoumaru frowned as he turned his head away from the bliss on Rin's face.   
  
One should never make a promise life won't let them keep.   
  
  
  
  
  
_He wiped the blood away from his lower lip, his nostrils flaring as he willed himself not to cry.   
  
A youkai never cries.   
  
Hadn't his father told him that a million times already?   
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama?" she called, her soft voice seeping into his heart as if it were poison.   
  
"Go away," he growled, angrily dabbing at the tears that welled up against his will in his eyes.   
  
Quietly, she stepped behind the thin bamboo curtain that hid the small alcove from view, only to pause hesitantly as her sad eyes rested on his undernourished form.   
  
"He did it again, didn't he, Sesshou?" the woman whispered even as her hands came to rest upon the young youkai's shoulders.   
  
Sesshoumaru shrugged them off, only to growl as the woman, heedless to his temper, instead encircled her arms around his neck. Ignoring the comforting way he could feel her heart beat against his back, the youkai propelled himself forward out of her arms.   
  
"Sesshou? Please? Let me see?"   
  
He shook his head slowly, his breathing forced and deep as he tried to regain his calm. Instinctively, he raised the back of his hand to wipe away the remnants of the tears that had just begun to overflow the golden wells.   
  
"Sesshou. What did he do?" Her voice was stronger, more commanding as she tugged on his left shoulder. "Sesshou. How can I protect you if you don't let me know what happened?"   
  
"I'm the youkai here, remember? You are only a human," he spat out, hating himself for the weakness he could hear escaping through his words. "How could you possibly protect me?"   
  
She sighed, her aura suddenly weak and helpless as she leaned her head against his back. Without seeming to think about it, she ran her slender fingers through his silver hair, almost as if she were a mother cat grooming her kitten.   
  
"Remember when I first started working here?" she said, her voice nostalgic as she traced her fingers through the long strands.   
  
Intent on ignoring her, Sesshoumaru stared ahead even as his mind replayed that first day so many years before.   
  
"I do," the woman said, a smile in her voice. "I was no more than 12 or so, but I remember it like I was yesterday. I remember seeing my master. And then, I remember seeing my master's beautiful son."   
  
"Beautiful isn't a word you use for a boy," Sesshoumaru growled, only to wince as he realized she had succeeded in drawing him into the memory.   
  
"Oh, but Sesshou. In your case, it was true," the woman chuckled softly as she finally stopped playing with his hair. "I had never seen anyone that beautiful before. And I must admit, I practically fell off my chair the first time you walked into the kitchen looking for that silly squirrel."   
  
He straightened his back as he tried to ignore her words, but the soft lull of her voice was almost too much to resist.   
  
"You did fall off your chair."   
  
The woman laughed as she hugged him tightly from behind. Smiling reluctantly, Sesshoumaru caught her hands and held them close to his heart.   
  
"You DO remember! I knew you would."   
  
"I am youkai. There isn't much I forget."   
  
The woman stood up on the very tips of her toes and kissed the back of his head, only to chuckle ruefully as she nearly tripped.   
  
"I remember when I used to be taller than you. Where on earth has the time gone?"   
  
Sesshoumaru sighed as he turned to face the woman, his heart suddenly clenching as he watched the emotions flicker behind her beautiful eyes. Regret. Pity. Disgust. Concern. Anger.   
  
Uncertainly, she reached a hand up to cup his bruised jaw, only to look repentant as he winced from the gentle touch.   
  
"What was it this time?"   
  
Sesshoumaru shrugged, his golden eyes looking everywhere except for her face.   
  
"Sesshou…"   
  
"Does it really matter?" he grunted, hating the fact that he was near tears once again. Damn woman always had that effect upon him.   
  
"Sesshoumaru!"   
  
"He hates me," he blurted, his lips pulled into a ferocious grimace as his eyes met hers. Trembling now, he wiped the sleeve of his expensive kimono across his face even as he pulled away from her touch.   
  
"Sesshou, you know that isn't true."   
  
"It is and you know it," Sesshoumaru spat, closing his eyes as he willed himself to regain the control his father insisted he so desperately needed.   
  
The woman sat down on the wooden window seat, only to reach her slender arms out affectionately to the boy.   
  
"Come here, Sesshou."   
  
The youkai tossed his head, frowning as he looked at her earnest expression.   
  
When did it happen? He wondered as he kneeled upon the ground and rested his head in her soft lap. No longer trusting himself to speak, Sesshoumaru bit his bottom lip as he felt her hands glide lovingly through his hair.   
  
When did he start thinking of this lowly human as a mother? Forever, it seems. Even when they were both children, she took care of him. Hiding him from not only jealousy of the peasants, but his father's wrath as well. But ten years later, he was still a child and she was a woman grown. It seemed wrong, really. Not only was he technically older than her, but he was a proud youkai. His father would have been the first one, before, to tell him that humans were unworthy of notice.   
  
And now, Inutaisho was wedding one. This one. Stealing the only person he had ever felt comfortable with away from him.   
  
Sesshoumaru wrapped his arms tightly around his stepmother-to-be's waist, only to relax his grip as he felt more than heard her gasp of pain.   
  
When did it all change?   
  
"Why?" he asked suddenly, unable to stop the word as it escaped from his lips.   
  
"Because I love you, Sesshoumaru," the woman answered without hesitation. Her fingers tapped the tip of his nose playfully. "And your father does love you, even if he has the tendency to be too cruel sometimes. But that is only because he doesn't want to see you hurt. And the pup I carry will love you, too."   
  
Soundlessly, he raised his head to stare at the stomach that had just begun to protrude with the fullness of new life. Shyly, he placed his slender, white hand upon the stomach, only to feel the vibrations of the woman's chuckling.   
  
"Yes. Your little brother or sister will love you very much, I think. Especially," she restrained a giggle as she mussed up his hair, only to laugh openly as he quickly smoothed the silver strands down, "if Big Brother Sesshou-chan lets them play with his pets."   
  
"Is my hanyou sibling really in there?" he wondered suddenly, his voice filled with awe.   
  
"No, Sesshou. But your sibling is. Forget about youkai and humans and hanyou, please? For now, let's just be a family?"   
  
He raised his head slowly, allowing her brown eyes to flit over the bruised and battered skin. Ignoring the tears that suddenly filled her eyes, Sesshoumaru spoke again.   
  
"A family?"   
  
The idea was new. Exciting, really. His mother had died so long ago, giving him life, as his father loved to remind him. But this woman, human or not, would be strong where his mother was weak.   
  
She would survive childbirth.   
  
Sesshoumaru would make sure of it.   
  
Flinging his arms around her thin neck, Sesshoumaru nearly toppled the woman over, only to be caught off guard by her merry laughter.   
  
"Yes. A family."   
  
"Promise?" he asked, his heart caught in his throat as he found himself unable to pull himself away from her warm embrace. A family. He would like that.   
  
"Always, Sesshou-chan. Always." _  
  
  
  
  
  
He stood silently, his face ashen as he concentrated on the moment. His breathing, hoarse and almost pained, seemed reluctant to leave his lungs as he watched the woman rock the girl sweetly in her arms, her face absolutely glowing with a maternal pride.   
  
How could such a simple scene be the most mesmerizing sight he had ever witnessed? Sesshoumaru frowned, helpless to take his golden eyes away from her sweet form even when Rin looked up and screamed in joy as she noticed his presence.   
  
He was helpless to turn away from this strange woman even as Rin ran straight into his body, flinging her arms around him happily. Reflexively, he picked the child up, a part of him angry with himself for the affectionate gesture yet the rest of him oblivious to the fact as his golden eyes focused on dark blue ones.   
  
Quietly, hesitantly, Kagome and the kitsune approached him, her eyes meeting his with no apprehension, only confusion.   
  
They were really rather pretty, Sesshoumaru decided as he stared into the woman's heavily fringed depths.   
  
Suddenly, he became completely aware of the frantic pounding of his heart as the corners of the woman's lips turned up into a slight, modest smile.   
  
"Look!" Rin shouted gleefully as she pushed the old doll into his face. "Kagome-chan gave her to me!"   
  
The spell broken, Sesshoumaru gently set the child to her feet as he nodded at the woman with a practiced indifference.   
  
The woman blinked and returned the nod, her cheeks turning an attractive red as she turned her attention down to the two children who stood at her feet.   
  
"Well, it's getting pretty late and all," Kagome started suddenly, her eyes slowly moving up to meet his again. "We should…"   
  
Sesshoumaru frowned as the woman stopped abruptly, her face turning almost a sickly green as her eyes seemed to be glued to his stomach. Curiously, he followed her view down.   
  
Strange. He hadn't even felt the wound reopen.   
  
Silently, she placed her hands upon his blood-soaked kimono, her trembling fingers sending a shock through his body as they applied a gentle pressure even as he could tell she was fighting to keep her calm.   
  
"Shippou-chan, go back to the village and grab the first aid kit for me, please?"   
  
The kitsune nodded, his small form gone from the meadow before Sesshoumaru could blink.   
  
"You just had to refuse the stitches, didn't you?" the woman dared to scold, her eyes flashing as she averted her eyes from the blood.   
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin spoke up, the damnable doll gripped tightly in her hands as she looked up at him with an almost tangible fear.   
  
"It's nothing, Rin," he said calmly, glaring at the stupid woman who scared the child with her senseless worrying. Did she think she was dealing with a weak human? A wound such as this had the power to only inconvenience a youkai such as him for a few days maximum.   
  
"He'll be fine, Rin," Kagome grumbled as she pressed a little too hard against the wound. Sesshoumaru growled, covering the grunt that escaped his lips at her rough administrations. "He's too stubborn to be hurt. Or to admit to it."   
  
Not deigning to acknowledge her silly remark with a response, Sesshoumaru glared at the miko, willing the full strength of his personality to intimidate her.   
  
But she seemed oblivious to his displeasure.   
  
"Rin. Gather your things," he said suddenly as he pushed her bloody hands away from his stomach. "It is time we leave."   
  
The child nodded, her eyes downcast as she held the doll to her chest.   
  
"You aren't going anywhere, bub" the woman huffed as she looked squeamishly at the blood covering her hands.   
  
Yes. The brave little lioness cannot stand the sight of blood, Sesshoumaru decided, biting down a raw bit of amusement even as it rumbled in his throat. How odd. How far would she go, he wondered suddenly as he allowed her to replace her hands upon his stomach. How far would she go to do something that she believes is right even though it disgusts her?   
  
Wordlessly, he sat down on the edge of the old well, his face impassive even as she pulled the white silk from his chest.   
  
No. It is possible for her eyes to get even wider, Sesshoumaru admitted with a slight smile as her pupils dilated as she stared at his white, muscular stomach.   
  
She turned away, her hands shaking even as she reapplied the pressure against the soaked bandage. "Rin-chan, do me a favour?"   
  
The little girl cocked her head, considerably less upset by the youkai's wounds than the miko.   
  
"Yes, Kagome-chan?"   
  
"Do pick some flowers for Sesshoumaru-sama, please? Flowers help people who are sick to get better faster, you know."   
  
Rin smiled brightly as she nodded her head. "Really? Oh. Then Rin will pick ALL the flowers then so Sesshoumaru-sama gets better really fast."   
  
Kagome smiled weakly as she watched the child scamper off to pick the meadow clean.   
  
"That really was not necessary," Sesshoumaru spoke up, his voice low as he watched the dread usurp the peaceful expression upon the woman's face. Slowly, she turned an eye towards his wound, only to shudder violently as she realized what mess her fingers were currently playing in. "Unlike most humans, Rin isn't weak and can handle the sight of blood."   
  
"I'm not weak," Kagome insisted as she turned her entire gaze towards his stomach. Sesshoumaru felt a smile playing about his lips as he listened to the way her heart beat faster.   
  
"I'm not. I just prefer that internal organs stay internal."   
  
"Don't spout such nonsense, woman. All my internal organs, as you call them, still reside within …"   
  
The woman groaned as she lowered her head. "Oh, don't even go there. This is not a conversation I want to be having right about now."   
  
"Of course it isn't," the youkai lord said smoothly, waiting for her reaction to his next words. "Considering that the only time I, Sesshoumaru, ever get injured is when you are around, you are probably afflicted, most rightfully so, with guilt."   
  
Incredulously, Kagome just shook her head. "Must you keep repeating your name? Or are you afraid that if you don't, you'll forget it?" The girl grumbled nastily as she looked in the direction of the village. He could almost hear her wishing for the kitsune to return.   
  
"No, indeed, it is my concession towards your inferiority, of course," he continued, trying his damnedest to keep as straight face as he watched hers turn red with either embarrassment or anger.   
  
Either way, it was still amusing. No wonder why his brother kept the wench around.   
  
"My inferiority?" she spoke slowly. Dangerously.   
  
"I applaud you. You are one of the few humans who have the presence of mind to realize your status," he inclined his head graciously towards the girl.   
  
Without a word, the girl stood up, pausing only to wipe her bloody hands along the clean white silk of his ruined kimono.   
  
His eyes narrowed at the rebellious gesture, all amusement gone as she glared down at him.   
  
"You overstep your boundaries, wench," Sesshoumaru growled as he watched her meet his eyes defiantly.   
  
"And you are being a big jerk," the miko sputtered, her heart beating at a chaotic pace. "I'm only trying to help you. But do you appreciate it? No. You are too busy insulting me."   
  
"I don't need your help, human." Sesshoumaru snarled, coming instantly to his feet as he pushed the woman away. His claws extended, he ripped the bandage off his stomach, enjoying the horrified look in Kagome's eyes as the wounds pulled completely open.   
  
Fine. It hurt like hell, but watching her reaction made the pain completely worth it.   
  
Well, mostly.   
  
He ground his teeth as he overrode the instinct to hold his stomach protectively. Perhaps tearing off the bandage wasn't such a brilliant idea.   
  
"Jerk," Kagome muttered as she pulled the old bandage from his hand and pressed it against his stomach. "Really. Men."   
  
"I am not a man," Sesshoumaru stated coldly, curiously uneasy with the impatient words. "I am a youkai. A male youkai. There is a difference."   
  
"Could have fooled me."   
  
He felt his lips turn in disgust as he gazed down at the woman before him. How dare she compare him to a human?   
  
He lowered his head to tell it to her, instinctively cupping her chin in the palm of his hands as he forced her to look up at him.   
  
Sesshoumaru blinked in shock as he stared into the pretty blue eyes, his heart pounding loudly, almost deafeningly, as he recognized the look written in every sweet line of her face.   
  
Concern.   
  
The woman was worried about him.   
  
Silently, he took a labored breath as he tried to think but no words would come to mind. This woman he hardly knew, this little lioness he had tried to kill on numerous occasions was worried. About him.   
  
_Why?_   
  
Why didn't she fear for her own safety? Sesshoumaru wondered as his golden eyes traced over soft skin and pink lips. Why would she care?   
  
Why would she care what happened to him?   
  
He opened his mouth to demand the answer from her, to know why her blue eyes shimmered and why her black eyebrows knitted together.   
  
It was a misunderstanding. It had to be.   
  
But the look on her face tugged at something deep inside, so far down he couldn't name the emotion if he tried. Unable to restrain himself, he lowered his head and inhaled her sweet scent deep into his lungs. Closing his eyes, he reveled in the beguiling smell, his hand still holding her chin firmly as his fingers seemed to memorize the feel of her skin against his.   
  
What on earth was she doing to him, Sesshoumaru wondered as he looked back into those startled eyes. And further more, why wasn't he angry about it?   
  
"Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked hesitantly as he finally noticed her dilated pupils and her quick, shallow breathing. "Are you okay? Maybe you should sit?"   
  
The youkai shook his head, the movement swift and nearly imperceptible.   
  
Kagome closed her eyes for a moment, but almost immediately, took a deep, fortifying breath. Silently, she placed her hands upon his strong shoulders, seemingly content to allow them rest upon them.   
  
Stunned by her boldness, he felt his head turn slowly to stare at the soft, white hands that rested so innocuously upon his person, only to feel his eyebrows rise as the miko suddenly pushed down with so much force that the youkai lord found himself sitting upon the old, moldy wood of the well.   
  
Quietly, Kagome kneeled next to him, her hands busily working away as she attempted to stop the profuse bleeding. Mesmerized by her sudden competency, Sesshoumaru watched her soundlessly as he tried to calm the pounding of his heart.   
  
"Thank you," she blurted out, almost shyly as she fiddled with the thin, white silk. "I didn't get to really say it before, but thank you."   
  
He closed his eyes as he inclined his head graciously towards the woman, unable to watch as the woman continued to bestow her compassion upon him.   
  
"Shippou-chan," Kagome breathed, the tightness that had been evident in her voice suddenly vanished as the young kitsune bounded up.   
  
His eyes flashed open as he frowned, mentally kicking himself for allowing his guard to lapse. Had it been any other youkai, Rin and Kagome could very well be dead now.   
  
"Here, Kagome," the kitsune said as he thrust a white box with a strange, red cross emblazoned on the top into the girl's waiting hands. "I didn't know what you wanted so I brought all of it."   
  
The woman smiled in satisfaction at the kitsune.   
  
"Shippou-chan! Here," Rin ordered as she ambled up, only to force some flowers into the boy's hands. "You need to pick flowers for Sesshoumaru-sama."   
  
"Really," the demon lord muttered dryly, unable to keep from commenting at the boy's horrified face. "It is not necessary."   
  
"Yes, it is," Rin insisted as she pulled the towards the flowers by his sleeve. "Kagome-chan said that the flowers will magically make Sesshoumaru-sama better if we pick them all."   
  
"Rin!" Kagome started, her face red with embarrassment as the child turned to face her, brown eyes wide with innocence.   
  
"Yes, Kagome-chan?"   
  
The woman sighed in resignation as she looked at Rin's blissful face.   
  
"Have fun picking the flowers."   
  
Rin bounced up and down happily as she thanked Kagome prettily, only to destroy her angelic demeanor a moment later by grabbing Shippou by his tail and dragging him towards the field.   
  
"Okay. Fine. I didn't have the heart to correct her. So sue me," the woman muttered as she looked down at the white box. Had she looked up at that moment, perhaps she would have seen the small, almost gentle smile that graced the youkai's lips for a second.   
  
He shook his head slowly as he forced his attention from the woman who tended his ribs so meticulously and back towards the children who argued happily among the brilliantly colored blossom. He raised an eyebrow in amusement as he watched Rin suddenly bop Shippou on the head with the doll, only to run screaming happily in circles as the kitsune began to chase her playfully.   
  
"Good god, they act like they are brother and sister," the woman laughed, the sound short but infinitely sweet. "Children! Geesh! Try not to kill each other too badly over there!" Kagome called out, only to respond with a small flutter of a hand as the kids stopped playing long enough to wave merrily at her.   
  
Sesshoumaru shook his head slowly as he watched the woman as the laughter warmed her cheeks and brightened her pretty eyes.   
  
Yes, he decided as he looked up towards the blue sky. It was a good thing this miko was human. Or else he might be tempted to take her as his mate.   
  
  


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Response to reviews:   
  
**Chibi Tenshi**: *grin* Don't give me any ideas. *ponders the possibility of a Jaken-chan fanclub* Oh, I can be cruel but maybe not that cruel. :-) You are such a flatterer! But thank you MUCH for it! *bounces around* Hope you enjoyed Chapter 15. :-)  
**Vernal Equinox**: So? What did you think? Huh? Huh? Huh? And I'm glad you think I actually managed to keep poor Sesshou in character. Man, is it getting harder as time goes on. :-) Its hard to make him the romantic sort.  
**Silverhawk**: (Note: not Silverhawk456) ;-) Aw! You don't like Jaken-chan in a dress? I hear he has really nice legs. (Okay, I just managed to get myself sick. :-) Oh, I threw in a couple more muscle moments just for you. Enjoy!  
**Monmon**: Oh, Rin and Shippou arent the only ones to adore our Kagome-chan. If everything pans out right, you'll see more of Jaken in drag in the next chapter. :-)  
**Steph**: I swear to god you crack me up! Yeah. Originally, I was going to do a small salute to Tamysan's _Love Potion_ since it was planned to be Sango who would lead Jaken astray, but I had to restrain myself since Miroku made more sense. :-) And I was hoping to make this entire chapter the end of 14, but... :-) Hope you forgive me!  
**Stormlight**: More Sess-chan? Hmm. Let me see what I can do. :-)  
**Misao**: Thank you so much! *bounces around* I hope you liked this chapter!  
**Ran-chan Inverse**: *GRIN* I'm so glad you caught that. Aw, you are such the best, cutie. Thank you.  
**Kylara**: Well, this chapter was an itty bit longer. ;-) Glad you liked the Rin-Shippou scene. They seem to work pretty well together. Thank you. :-) It means a lot to know that you like the way this is going, even if it is a *gasp* K/S and not K/IY. The idea you are open minded enough to continue reading this fic is extremely cool. Thanks. Oh, and believe it or not, this is not a IY/Kikyou story. :-) At this time, I still don't intend on having her pop in this fic, but she is scheduled to be in a side-story (actually, inspired by you) that I hope you'll like. :-)  
**MoonAngel**: Woo! Thank you! Thank you! *does the snoopy dance for you* Isn't he a fox? :-) Well, in a dog-demony way. :-)  
**Jaye**: Thanks, hon :-) Sorry about taking so long to post! Hope you still like this!  
**Voldersnort**: Are you starting to feel more at ease yet? ;-) And I definitely took your advice and spent a while revising this latest chapter. :-) *waits anxiously to find out your impression of it*  
**Angry Gen**: Feel bad for Jaken? ;-) Never. *grin* Actually, now you've given me a goal. *GRIN* Please let me know if you actually *do* start feeling bad for the old guy.  
**Winter**: Thanks! The Kaede/Sesshoumaru part was actually a lot of fun for me to write, though I was worried that I couldn't pull her off. I'm glad you liked it. As for the dream sequence.. *GRIN* Kagome is a strange girl, isn't she?  
**Aeryie**: Thank you! I'm definitely relieved you liked the dream. I wasn't really sure about adding it, but at the end, I didn't think it was possible *not* to. Hope you like what happens next!  
**Japriter17**: *giggle* Why, thank you! I read your fics and they seemed really sweet. Kikyou's a cool character. Can't wait to see what happens now that Sess has acquired a new slave. *falls to the ground in a faint* Two months? That's okay. Sometimes it takes a while to figure out what you wanna do with a story. But still. Hurry!  
**Baka deshi**: Woo. :-) Thank you vera much! As for stupid Jaken, *GRIN* a smart one wouldn't put a dress on. :-)  
**Neurofreez**: *innocent look* Play a trick on Jaken-chan? Would Miroku do that? *grin* Ah! What love does to a man, eh? :-) Okay, fine. Maybe its not love yet, but give me a few more chapters!  
**Nizûno Mikomi **: Now your reaction is just funny :-) Danke. Hope you liked Chapter 15!  
**No One**: Yes, ma'am! :-) Are things turning out okay?  
**Archaic Tears**: Thank you for the reviews! It's really cool of you to review all those at once. I appreciate it. :-) Oh, yeah. _Demonheart_, the revised edition, (no new chapter though) should be posted soon. As for Sesshou! Yeah. I've been SUCH a bitch to him, but the way I figure it, he's gotta earn his way to paradise, baby! :-) Thanks!  
  


  
Woo! It only took 15 chapters, but the ball is FINALLY rolling! *grin* Bet you thought he was gonna kiss her, didn't you? ;-) I'm sooooo mean.   
  



	17. Chapter 16a

  
  
  
Hiya, folks! It's been too long :( So sorry about taking such an incredibly long time to update, but I've sorta been out of the country for the last few months. Anyway, this "chapter" isn't as long as they normally are but that's because I wanted to post *something*, anyway. Think of this, actually, as Chapter 16a. With any luck, I'll post the remainder of 16 this weekend but I am kinda having a problem with Jaken right now. If worse comes to worse, I'll just ignore Jaken for the time being and get back onto the business of Kagome and Sesshoumaru. :-)  
  
Okay, well I'll stop blabbing and get back to writing. Thanks for being so patient with me and I so hope what comes next doesn't disappoint too much! Thanks!   
  
-Celyia, celyia@yahoo.com   
  
  


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**Chapter 16**   
  
  
  
He growled, his pallid lips pulling back to bare sharp teeth even as his eyes opened suddenly.   
  
"Inuyasha!" he heard the old woman snap, but heedless to the warning in her voice, he forced himself into a sitting position, only to want to vomit as a myriad of spots clouded his pained vision.   
  
Panting, Inuyasha ignored the pain as he glared at the old miko.   
  
"Sesshoumaru," he bit out as an explanation. His half-brother was close, so close that his scent seemed to linger in the very air.   
  
Kagome. Where the hell was Kagome?   
  
Gritting his teeth as he dragged himself up to his feet, Inuyasha leaned unsteadily against the old, wooden wall. He had to get to Kagome. Fuck the pain. He had to find Kagome now.   
  
"Inuyasha, you shouldn't move yet. You took a heavy hit," Kaede said slowly, her voice filled with disapproval.   
  
"Where is he?" the hanyou spit out, wincing as he heard the desperation and hopeless in his voice. But the truth was, he could hardly stand. How could he fight Sesshoumaru and win?   
  
He'd find a way to win. Brushing aside the sudden image of Kagome's face that wavered before his eyes, Inuyasha took a deep breath and started slowly walking to the door.   
  
"Undoubtedly somewhere in the village," Kaede said easily. "If he hasn't left already."   
  
Had it not been so painful, Inuyasha might have laughed at the woman's ignorance. It wasn't like the great youkai lord, Sesshoumaru, would pass up the opportunity to screw with his younger brother's life again.   
  
Instead, he settled for a freezing glare as he tried to keep from panting from the exertion.   
  
"And still you plan to attack him," Kaede sighed wearily as the ferocity of the glare finally   
  
"Feh," the hanyou summed up all his emotions in that one word as he turned away from the elderly miko.   
  
The old woman snorted in impatience as she came to Inuyasha's side, her wrinkled hands reaching to touch his shoulder, only to snap back in an instant as she saw the cold look in his hardening eyes.   
  
Inuyasha bit his lip suddenly as a wave of nausea crashed over him, almost causing him to fall to the ground. Thrusting out his chin even as his lower lip began to bleed slightly, Inuyasha glared at the miko, daring her to mention his momentary weakness.   
  
"Perhaps your temporary truce should be extended to allow for him to leave the village? After all, your brother had been injured in the fight as well so it would be meaningless for you to best an injured opponent now," Kaede said slowly, her words calm and motherly even as she stepped back to an unthreatening distance.   
  
Leaning against the old wooden wall, Inuyasha looked up at the elderly woman, a dazed confusion all over his pallid face.   
  
"Fight?" he blinked, unable to keep the word from rushing from his mouth. A part of him cursed silently as he accidentally unveiled his ignorance before the human but the need to know that he had not just been dreaming took, at least temporarily, a higher priority.   
  
Kaede nodded, her hands working steadily as she folded a damp cloth into a rectangular strip. "After you saved the child's life, Naraku fled and Kagome returned to the village to retrieve help to … help carry Lord Sesshoumaru."   
  
"The dumb bitch. She shoulda just left the bastard there to rot," Inuyasha grunted as he tried to ignore the sudden relief he felt knowing Kagome survived. "Bet the bitch went back to her own time again, huh…"   
  
Had the old woman even seemed slightly amused by Inuyasha's poorly concealed concern, there would have been hell to pay, but Kaede merely shook her head. "Kagome didn't wish to leave until she was completely assured you would make a quick recovery."   
  
"Feh. About fucking time the bitch showed even some sense," he grumbled, trying to deny the warmth he felt in his chest at Kaede's words.   
  
"She only left to check on the child of Sesshoumaru's."   
  
His brother. Inuyasha shook his head instinctively as his mind pulled back from Kagome back to the topic of his half-brother.  
  
He forced a disinterested grunt from his tightened throat as he turned away from the woman. So it hadn't been just another dream after all. None of it: not the inadequacies or the sudden triumph, not the helplessness of watching something still his woman's soul and not being able to really do a damn thing about it. And not that brief euphoria from, for the first time in his entire fucking adult life, of actually having a brother.   
  
A real brother.   
  
Growling, Inuyasha lashed out at the wall, grinning in strange pleasure as the pain of the slivers of wood embedded into his already tender skin. Don't need a fucking brother now, he thought angrily as he pulled his fist from the wall, only to make a matching hole with his other hand. I could have done it myself, you bastard. I don't need your fucking pity. And I don't need you fucking in my life, either.   
  
"He has until sunset to leave," he said, his voice deep and full of a strong, unyielding power that Kaede had never heard before in the hanyou's voice. Slowly, he turned his hands over, smirking at the way his blood appeared to mix with the waning light of the afternoon sun. "After that, the truce is dead. Just like he will be."   
  
With a defiant glare at the startled miko, Inuyasha growled one last time even as the pain overcame his defenses, forcing his body and turbulent mind to retreat into the sanctuary of unconsciousness.   
  
  


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Sorry to break it off so early, but I may continue doing this for the next few parts in order to get the story back into the groove again. Also, I will pick up with the responses to reviews in the next installment, going back to all the reviews I haven't responded to yet. Thanks so much and hope you enjoy what chaos is coming up!   
  



	18. Chapter 16B

  
  
  
Hiya! This part of Chapter 16 is a little on the silly side so forgive me for that. There is still one more part of Chapter 16 to go (16c) but I wanted to upload 16b tonight. With any luck, 16c will be out tomorrow.   
  
I do hope you like what happens. *grin* Thanks for reading even though I'm taking a god-awful long time to post!  
  
By the bye, if the characters seem a bit out-of-character, please bear with me. :-)  
  
  
  
-Celyia, celyia@yahoo.com   
  
  


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**Chapter 16B**   
  
  
  
Jaken sat upon the wooden floor, feet touching slightly as he looked up at the woman who addressed him suddenly.  
  
"Sakeno," she said, her eyes pushed into a small slit by the weight of the fat she carried upon her small frame. "Quite a good job! Quite a good job, indeed. Did you see Sakeno-chan's sewing, Mariko-san? Beautiful for being her first try at stitching."  
  
Mariko turned slowly to the youkai, her arthritic hands reaching slowly out for the cloth. Growling as he immediately yanked his prized cloth back from the woman's gnarled fingers, Jaken held his sewing achievement close to his chest.  
  
"Patience, child. I only wish to see your progress," Mariko chuckled, her voice unsteady from age and humour.  
  
"It's all right, Sakeno-chan," the fat woman said, her jowls bobbing as she nodded her head. Jaken frowned slightly as the woman… Kutsui?… placed a meaty hand upon his shoulder. "It's yours. No one will take it away."  
  
Jaken looked dangerously at the impertinent human hand that rested so innocuously upon him. Oh, what he would give to have his Staff with him now! Even then, though, he'd be unable to use it. After all, if Sesshoumaru-sama wanted a report on the activities of these rebellious women, Sesshoumaru-sama would get it.  
  
Once again, he bowed down to his master's seemingly infinite knowledge. How the youkai lord knew these women were plotting world domination, he couldn't decide. But he hadn't been in the room for ten minutes before these wily old hags began to fill him in on their plans, which included among other things:   
  
1) Lessons on how to make any man their slave   
2) Premeditated murder (I'm gonna kill him!) and  
3) What should be cooked for the evening meal.  
  
It was enough to alternatively turn the old youkai's blood cold, when, that is, he wasn't filled with a new respect for feminine ruthlessness.  
  
"I knew it!" another woman tsked suddenly as she turned the full strength of her small eyes upon Jaken's tiny form. "Such horrible manners the child has! But what could you expect from such a homely, scrawny thing?"  
  
Horrible manners? Homely? Jaken felt his chest puff out with pride as he continued to sew.   
  
"Really, Eiko-san!" Kutsui interjected, her kindly face blushing as she looked down. "The child has no mother! How would you expect her to learn manners?"  
  
"Oh, nonsense! She doesn't need a mother to know how to behave," Eiko continued blissfully as she continued sewing. "If she were a good sort of girl, she would know her manners without having to be told. _I_ knew my manners. My daughter Puki knew her manners. Right after I gave birth to my little dear, Puki knew how to behave in polite company, she did. No, no. No, what Sakeno needs is some good, old fashioned discipline. Discipline, I say. I keep telling you, without it the world will decay into … into … well, it will become _untidy_," Eiko insisted, her mouth tripping over the sound as if it were the most offensive word in the entire language. "Without a firm hand to discipline, the entire world would fall into untidiness."  
  
"Kami-sama forbid," Mariko muttered dryly. "Better to have put the child out of her misery than to have her untidy."  
  
"Exactly, Mariko-san," Eiko agreed, completely oblivious to the old woman's sarcasm.   
  
"Don't worry, child," Kutsui smiled as she patted Jaken on the head. "I think you are doing a wonderful job."  
  
Jaken grunted in reply as he lifted up the cloth to the weakened light. Actually, he thought as his increasingly knowledgeable eyes scanned over his work of the past few hours, it wasn't too bad. No, not bad at all. Hmm. Wait. What is that?  
  
"Fuck!" he started suddenly, unaware of the looks of the shocked women. "I dropped a stitch!"  
  
  
  


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She tried to hide her smile, a part of her instinctively knowing he'd react badly if he saw it, but she was only partially successful.   
  
But there is just something so sweet, Kagome thought as she watched the curious golden eyes that seemed to drink in everything even as they hid behind the impassive face, about a grown man being so intrigued by everyday life.   
  
Sweet?  
  
Good lord, Kagome! The girl scolded herself silently as she continued walking beside the youkai lord, while I'm certain there are many adjectives out there that describe Sesshoumaru, sweet just isn't one of them.  
  
Still, she thought as she fully extended her legs in order to keep up with the youkai's long strides, the more time she spent around Inuyasha's older brother, the more she wondered about him.   
  
"Yeah, anyway," Kagome muttered, feeling more than a little uncomfortable with the silence. Oh, why did she let Rin and Shippou run off to play? "So what do you think of the village?"   
  
Silence.  
  
The young miko looked at the incredibly stubborn man and shrugged her slender shoulders.  
  
"I love it, personally," Kagome chattered, only to wince as momentarily as she decided she sounded like a fool. But still, someone had to talk and it was obvious it wouldn't be the youkai. "When I first came here, it shocked me. Things were so different here from everything I've ever known, you know? But now, it's like I can't imagine things not being this way. Even with no running water. But gawd! What I'd give for electricity sometimes!"  
  
Quietly, she looked up at the beautiful face in order to try to gauge Sesshoumaru's expression. No luck. The guy has to be made out of porcelain or something, she huffed to herself. At least, he hadn't told her to shut up yet. Or, Kagome decided as her eyes fell to his well-sharpened claws, hadn't just killed her. That's always a plus.  
  
"But the people here are really nice. They've made me feel welcome…"  
  
"You are bleeding," the youkai lord stated softly, his carefully modulated voice indifferent.  
  
The girl stopped dead in her tracks, her face an inhumanly brilliant shade of red that wouldn't be seen again until Ronald McDonald would don a gaudy wig in about 500 years.  
  
"You …" she faltered as she looked nervously down at her skirt.  
  
"I, Sesshoumaru, cannot only smell the blood but the infection, as well. While I do not normally delve into the piddling concerns of humans, you did assist the child and therefore, I will make a slight exception."  
  
Infection?   
  
OH! Her foot! The youkai was referring to her injured foot, not… Kagome, she told herself firmly, soooo do not go there.  
  
Laughing nervously and in relief, the young woman nodded her head. "Oh, I forgot. I knew my _foot_," she tried to emphasize the word subtly but subtlety had never been the girl's strong suit, " was feeling a bit sore today, but, well... After everything that's happened over the last couple of days, I forgot to tell Kaede-baa-chan about my _foot_."  
  
The youkai lord nodded once, the movement barely perceptible even from only a couple feet away. Still, she thought a she looked down at her foot, (He didn't just slow down, did he? There's no way. Okay, he did slow down. But…naaah. He's probably tired from his injuries and stuff.) it was amusing that now she remembered her own injury, how much it hurt!  
  
"So why have you not healed it yet?"  
  
The girl blinked as she looked up at the youkai.  
  
"Because I forgot to show Kaede?"  
  
For the first time since she met him, a bit of emotion other than anger and indifference slipped onto Sesshoumaru's cool visage. "Why have you not healed it yourself?" he demanded, his voice fogged with a few clouds of exasperation.  
  
Kagome frowned as she continued watching him. "I guess because Kaede is always so willing to help me. And when she heals, it takes a lot less time than when I do it."  
  
Sesshoumaru growled slightly as he headed into the nearest hut.  
  
"You can't go in there!" Kagome started as she tried to remember whose hut the youkai was now violating. Sesshoumaru didn't even bother to glance back at the girl as he pushed his way in.  
  
Dammit.  
  
Kagome jogged after the youkai, her mind whirling with activity as she tried to think of a decent excuse to give the owners of the hut as she entered it herself.  
  
"I'm so sorr… hey, it's empty," the young woman frowned as she looked around the newly built hut curiously. "Why is it empty?"  
  
"Sit."  
  
Kagome immediately sat down at the edge of a pallet.   
  
"Now just wait a second," the girl protested as she started to stand back up, embarrassed at her own reaction. Suddenly, a slander hand pressed down on her shoulder, forcing the miko back down.  
  
"Sit," the youkai growled.  
  
This is just odd, she thought as she hid her confused eyes from Sesshoumaru. I don't think I like being "sitted" very much, she groaned silently as she felt the youkai looking her over.   
  
Uneasily, she glanced around the room, willing her eyes to look at everything except for the creature currently keeping her company.  
  
"OH!" Kagome exclaimed, speaking a little louder than usual in order to fill in the ghastly silence. "It's a wedding hut! That's right. Puki and Ryouku are getting married. Oh, that explains everything!" She spared a quick glance to the youkai lord, only to blush at the slight amusement tugging at his lips. "We have to leave here. We aren't supposed to be violating their wedding hut. It's really bad luck…"  
  
"Take off the footwear."  
  
"I mean, I'd feel so bad if they ended up getting divorced…"  
  
"Miko, remove the footwear."  
  
"Wait. I don't even think you guys have divorces in this age, huh… Hey, don't do that! I can take off my own dumb shoe, got it?"  
  
The youkai growled warningly as he plucked the girl's hands away from her foot, his earlier amusement evidently long gone. Soundlessly, he pulled off the white sock, only to wrinkle his nose at the putrid smell of infection.  
  
"Oh, it didn't look like that this morning," Kagome mumbled dumbly as she felt her blood warm her cheeks. Sesshoumaru, though, didn't even spare her a look.   
  
This guy sure has talent at making people feel stupid, she thought as she decided to refrain from speaking.   
  
She bit her lip as his claw pierced the skin, the tender flesh tinted an unhealthy green. It hurt like hell, but she refused to give the youkai the pleasure of hearing her scream.  
  
"This is the wound you received in the forest?" Sesshoumaru asked, his voice missing its usual bite.  
  
Kagome just nodded, trying to force the memory from her mind. But he saved your life, a part of her insisted as she remembered feel of the weight of his body as it pressed against her and the pain that broke into his startling golden eyes.  
  
Why did he save my life, anyway?  
  
Why?  
  
She needed to ask. It wasn't as if Kagome wanted to ask, but a part of her needed to know. Why save the life of your enemy especially at the risk of your own well being? Why would Sesshoumaru, a man Kagome had always thought of as being one of the most dangerous and heartless of her enemies, save her life?  
  
And why on earth was he tending to her foot now?  
  
Kagome looked down at the youkai, whose hand gently gripped the bottom of her foot as his keen eyes explored the surface. His fingers were warm and strong, knowledgeable too for even though he poked and prodded the injured limb, Kagome felt very little pain.  
  
In fact, she thought as she noticed the slight creasing around his eyes (is that a sign of him concentrating?) that even though it was against everything she had come to believe about the youkai during the last few years, Kagome was willing to bet her entire collection of shikon shards that Sesshoumaru had done this before.   
  
"I'm sorry for being such a bother," Kagome said suddenly, her voice filled with a timidity that she had never heard come from her throat before. It felt… awkward, to say the least. "I should have gotten it looked at but things happened so fast here that it slipped my mind. It just didn't hurt at all."  
  
Sesshoumaru remained silent as he continued lancing the worst of the infection.  
  
"I just wanted to say thank you for helping me…"  
  
"Had you waited much longer, you would have lost the foot."  
  
Kagome blinked as the words floated up to her ears.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"The infection is quite advanced, especially since it has only been two days. Nonetheless, the rotting is beginning to set in."  
  
Rotting? Kagome wondered in horror. How could her foot … oh, god. Is he talking about gangrene? Kagome forced herself to look down at her injury, only to grumble as the obstinate man shaded her own foot from view. Gangrene, god! Even in my age there is no cure for advanced gangrene.  
  
"But that's impossible!"  
  
The youkai just looked up at her, his eyes disinterested.   
  
"Obviously, it is not."  
  
"But it was fine!"  
  
"No, it was not. Even your inferior human senses should have noticed it."  
  
"Inferior human senses? Could you even BE more pompous?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Kagome shook her head, caught between a giggle and outrage. There had been no sarcasm in his response, just perfect honesty. In fact, the youkai probably had no clue what he just sounded like.  
  
She felt the weight of his golden eyes as they swung up to her face, undoubtedly annoyed at her sudden laughter. Grinning like a fool, she met his eyes, only to be blown away by the amusement hiding behind the normally passionless orbs.   
  
Magnetic.  
  
There was something so captivating about those eyes that were filled with the humour she had never knew the demon possessed. Her giggles slowly faded as she stared directly into those eyes, unable or unwilling to break the gaze. It wasn't her imagination. It couldn't be.  
  
Sesshoumaru, the great lord of the west, had been teasing her.  
  
Okay, the world can now end, she thought, a part of her elated by this discovery, as the golden eyes appeared to soften. Needless to say, this is precisely why she was thrown so off guard when, a moment later, Sesshoumaru jabbed a sharp claw coated in a green poison directly into her wound.  
  
  
  


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Responses to Chapter 15 and below will be at the end of 16c. :-) And sorry about the cliffhanger (does that even qualify as one? :-) but I couldn't resist! Muahaha. We are SO close to finishing Part 1. I'm hoping to get back to my old schedule of posting a new chapter at least once a week so hopefully the beginning of Part 2 (chapter 17) should be up next week! Thanks, folks!   
  



	19. Chapter 16C

**Title:** _Falling Stars_  
**Rating:** PG-13   
**Note:** Sorry about the inconsistencies and stuff, but please bear with me. I'm dropping a few plotlines because they no longer fit with where I want to go and am adding a couple more. I'll fix up all that junk after I finish the story.   
  
This is turning into one hell of a long chapter but I think it will be easier to write if I continue breaking it up into parts. After all, I gotta start pumping this baby out again or else it will go the way of "Night Warrior" and "Square One" (in other words, into "On Indefinite Hold"-ville). And I so don't want to see that happen. So try to bear with me as I fumble around here.   
  
Thanks for your patience!   
  
-Cel.   
  
OH! By the bye, do me a favour and check out Vernal Equinox's wonderful _Higuka_. It's a great little start of a story that really hasn't yet received the notice it should. It appears to be Sess/Kagome for those of you who are interested, by the bye. If we band together and review the hell out of her, maybe she'll find the motivation to continue? Maybe? * crosses her fingers * One can always dream, anyway! Thanks!   
  


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**Chapter 16c**   
  
  
  
He should have just left.   
  
Instead he was sleeping just outside the human village with only Jaken for company because the little human girl who normally insisted on accompanying him had fallen asleep; snuggled up to the kitsune as if they were a pair of inseparable kittens.   
  
So instead of leaving, he sat here. Like a fool. Because he didn't want to leave the child behind. It was probably the most inane situation he had ever been in, yet he seemed to be helpless to change it.   
  
A sigh escaped his lips as he looked down at Jaken. The old servant snored softly, his long tongue escaping his wrinkled beak with an annoying regularity.   
  
Sesshoumaru had proven himself to be a fool all the way around today.   
  
His head fell back against the stout trunk, a part of him fighting to keep from wincing as he replayed the day's events.   
  
It hadn't been enough that he had condescended to touch the human miko. No. He had to save the girl's useless life. Again.   
  
If he didn't exhibit some caution, it would undoubtedly become a rather bad habit.   
  
He lifted his claw before his eyes, frowning slightly as he could see the moonlight reflected in the smooth, white surface.   
  
Sesshoumaru had allowed himself to become distracted earlier as the girl sat before him in the hut. Perhaps it had been the light in her somewhat attractive eyes or that look of supreme embarrassment she had given him when she thought he was referring to her being in heat ... he honestly didn't know. But for one moment there, he had completely forgot he was with a human.   
  
For one terrifying moment, it had only been him and a bewitching creature named Kagome.   
  
At first, he thought that there was nothing more exhilarating than watching the young woman's temper flare; watching the way her face reddened, and the pointed chin would thrust proudly out. Watching the way, regardless of her fear, her spirit defied him.   
  
How could he have known that he would find her laughter so much more enjoyable?   
  
Sesshoumaru pulled his hand through his hair, staring silently as the white tips of his fingers danced between the silver strands.   
  
He had been so tempted by the woman, with her shining black hair and blue eyes that smiled. As he knelt there, before her as her foot so trustingly rested between his claws, he wanted more than anything to see her smile. At him.   
  
_With_ him.   
  
In her own quiet way, the woman was the most dangerous creature he had ever come across. The defiance? Sesshoumaru had no qualms about his ability to deal with it. He didn't like it and she needed to learn her lesson, soon, before she corrupted Rin, but it didn't scare him. It was nothing compared to this ... need ... he felt around her, this strange desire to smile.   
  
And laugh.   
  
It was a weakness and he knew it.   
  
But it wasn't a weakness Sesshoumaru was all that anxious to get rid of.   
  
He sighed, the sound long and forlorn.   
  
At least he had taken care of that before it became a problem, Sesshoumaru told himself as he looked at the dangerous-looking claw.   
  
She would never laugh around him again.   
  
Not after he hurt her.   
  
It was ironic, really. He had actually intended to help her, to melt the rotting tissue before it claimed her foot and her life. Instead, Sesshoumaru had been careless and shoved too much of his poison into her wound, so much that it melted far more tissue than he intended. She would walk again, but he suspected it would be with a limp. The girl was, after all, merely a human and didn't possess the regenerative abilities of his kind.   
  
She was just merely human.   
  
Even so, Sesshoumaru didn't need to close his eyes to remember the look she gave him as she bit her lip to keep from screaming in pain. In a way, it haunted him and even now, he wished he hadn't been so hasty. For the first time in his adult life, he hadn't wanted a woman to stop smiling. He hadn't wanted her to turn away.   
  
All he wanted...   
  
Sesshoumaru snorted in disgust as he rose to his feet, angrily pacing back and forth as the feeling flooded back into his soul.   
  
A human. He had wanted to touch a human.   
  
Perhaps he wasn't so different from the old bastard after all.   
  
He wouldn't accept it. He knew it. He was nothing like his father. _Nothing._   
  
It was proven by the fact he had never raised a hand against Rin. Never. He clothed her. He hunted for her. He took care of her. His father had never done even half as much.   
  
Sesshoumaru had been a far better father than his own had ever been.   
  
A father.   
  
Sesshoumaru stopped dead in his tracks as he looked towards the human village, a frown usurping the anxiety that had clouded his face.   
  
Did he consider himself to be the child's father?   
  
No. Impossible.   
  
Perhaps he was fond of the creature, but her father?   
  
It would be best to just leave. This moment. Jaken would find his own way back.   
  
Kagome would treat Rin as if the little girl were her very own. There was no doubt in his mind that this was a truth. The girl would finally have a family. She didn't need to bother him with her presence. He could finally be free.   
  
The frown came unbidden, corrupting his lips as he gazed helplessly towards the village.   
  
_Family_. There was something about that word that always pulled at him. He blamed Inuyasha's mother for that, for filling him with a need that could never be fulfilled.   
  
For making him forget that no matter much he may wish otherwise, he would never belong. A family was a luxury he couldn't afford. There were so many reasons not to want one: the hassle of having others depend on you, the inconvenience of assuaging a potential mate's hurt feelings, knowing that if he ever lapsed... if he ever allowed himself to feel, it could be used against him.   
  
It would be used against him.   
  
The choice was clear, really. Sesshoumaru would never have that family. He couldn't.  
  
But that didn't mean Rin would be doomed to suffer in loneliness.  
  
His mind made up, the youkai lord stalked towards the village, unable to resist looking at the child one last time before he left.   
  
For good.   
  
  
  
  
  


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**Note:** Angsty, huh? I don't know why I keep having Sesshoumaru consider leaving Rin behind but it kind of seems natural. The man (as far as I keep writing him) hides from his emotions and Rin sometimes forces him into situations where he has to face them. At those times, I suspect it would be so much easier to leave than to express something that he doesn't have the words for.  
  
Well, this chapter has been leading up to something *grin* and I don't think I can possibly put it off for much longer. Thanks for hanging in there and bearing with me and I hope you still like this story!  
  
  
  
  
  



	20. Chapter 16D

**Dedication:** This baby goes out completely to _Alyson Metallium_. Without you and your excellent proofreading skills, this portion would be literally about five times shorter and a hell of a lot worse.  
**Note:** Thanks for waiting, folks! Well, this is one hell of a long chapter and it's getting longer by the second. Oi. Brevity is so not one of my talents. Funny thing is that I think the original 16D (with all five of its scenes) was only like 13 pages, but Alyson helped out so much that things got expanded big time. Since the first two scenes alone are now up to 19 pages (originally 4), I thought it would be better if I just released this part now because I have no clue how much I will end up rewriting the last few scenes.   
  
By the bye, this is a very Sesshoumaru-centric chapter. We'll start seeing Kagome's views on everything in Chapter 17.   
  
-Cel.   
  
  
  


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**Chapter 16D**   
  
  
His ears perked up as he heard the cries echo through the stoic night, for even the distance between him and the person sobbing couldn't hide the sheer desolation and heartbreak that trembled in the voice. There was something about the sound that just tore into his chest, the terrible tremble of the tone screaming in its own way that no matter how powerful he thought he was, one single cry could strike him impotent.   
  
_Rin._   
  
Sesshoumaru broke into a run, only his mind moving faster than his long legs as he wound through the dirt roads that fumbled through the village. Hurdling over a bundle of freshly cut bamboo lying carelessly by a partially constructed hut, Sesshoumaru glanced around the myriad of homes built so closely together.   
  
_Where?_   
  
He lifted his nose to the air, inhaling the night's calm scents deep into his lungs as he picked up Rin's fresh and completely unique fragrance. Though she didn't smell injured, that hadn't kept the sickly sweet honey of fear from clouding her aroma. Frowning intensely as he berated himself for being foolish enough to think mere humans could safeguard the child for even a night, Sesshoumaru raced towards the tiny, nearly dilapidated hut that was temporarily housing the child he had spent so long protecting.   
  
In retrospect, he really should have known better, but for some reason when he finally was able to push aside the thin bamboo screen to enter the hut, it still came as a surprise to see her there, rocking the child lovingly in her bare arms.   
  
"Sweetheart," the woman murmured, her gentle voice soothing even to his cynical ears. A slender hand, its white skin mottled by the light of the flickering candle, stroked the messy black hair tenderly. "It's okay, Rin-chan, it's okay."   
  
Rin clung to the dark haired woman, her entire body shivering as strangled sobs of despair fought to escape the thin chest. But the heartbreaking sobs slowly transformed into soft, erratic hiccups as the woman embraced the child lovingly.   
  
"It was only a bad dream, sweetie. That's all. Just a bad dream," the miko whispered, her words almost caught upon the stale air of the room.   
  
The youkai stood there, unable to move as a deep frown kissed his thin lips. Had he paused to consider it, he wouldn't have had an idea how long he just hovered at the opening, watching as Kagome said so sweetly the words he wished he had the ability to say. It was almost as if he were relegated to the shadows of his own existence, barred from interacting with the two humans in his life that he couldn't hate.   
  
Still, there was something so terrible and obscene in the tender scene, something that rubbed him raw and deep as he watched the little girl settle down slowly. While he prided himself on the acuteness of his logical mind, there was another, less rational part, deep inside his soul, that whispered Rin belonged there in the miko's toned arms.   
  
It was bound to happen sooner or later, Sesshoumaru told himself. Yet watching as Rin took to the woman so easily, looking almost as if she were Kagome's child, only emphasized the surprise he felt as he realized that Rin finally started preferring humans.   
  
The strange thing was that over the years, he had let himself forget the child _was_ human. And that galling oversight now forced him to stand outside a mere peasant's ramshackle hut, watching as the child, whom he once assumed would follow him to the ends of the earth, nuzzle into the arms of the very woman he couldn't bring himself to consider killing any longer.   
  
"He left me, Kagome-san," the child blurted suddenly, startling both the young woman and the youkai watching silently from the veil of shadows. Small, plump hands hid beneath the delicately woven cotton of the yukata, the fine cloth consigned for use as an impromptu handkerchief as Rin looked into Kagome's eyes. The soft voice choked on an emerging sob as she looked up at the woman holding her.   
  
"He doesn't want me, you know," Rin tried to state matter-of-factly, but it was obvious (to Sesshoumaru, anyway, for he, long ago, learned to gauge the voice of the normally happy child) that Rin's gentle heart was broken.   
  
Stifling the growl that vibrated instinctively from his throat, his golden eyes narrowed as he looked around the room.   
  
The child youkai wasn't in the room.   
  
_If the kitsune had hurt the child…_   
  
"Who doesn't want you, sweetheart?" Kagome's voice broke the silence of the room, freezing his fury as he turned his attention back to the females.   
  
Rin sighed, the sound hopeless, as she wrapped her chubby arms securely around Kagome's neck.   
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama," the child choked out, the sobbing he thought had ceased renewing with a vengeance as the sweet voice hiccupped and broke.   
  
_What in the hell…?_   
  
"I had this dream but it was real and he left and he didn't come back and I never saw him again and he left me here, Kagome-san. He _left_ me because I'm human and slow and…" Rin hiccupped, her small fist rubbing relentlessly at her reddened eyes as she trembled.   
  
Kagome lowered her head, oblivious to the almost mesmerizing way the soft candlelight reflected on the thick, black hair that poured over her shoulders. A frown usurped her pretty lips, as she looked the child directly into the eyes.   
  
"Did he tell you that?" she asked evenly, but beneath the guise of casual words, Sesshoumaru could hear the dangerous edge of anger threading through her voice.   
  
"No."   
  
Kagome giggled suddenly, the sound girlish and airy as she nuzzled her lips into the girl's wild mane.   
  
"Oh, Rin-chan. Silly girl! How could you possibly think that?" the miko scolded, her reassuring tone giving her words a gentle, motherly feel as she hugged the child close to her heart. "I'd bet my life on that Sesshoumaru loves you and loves you very much."   
  
Black, knotted hair swung wildly as Rin shook her head emphatically.   
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't love anyone," the girl whispered sadly, her head falling in a strange sort of defeat against Kagome's shoulder.   
  
"He doesn't?" Kagome repeated softly, her beguiling voice shadowed with confusion.   
  
The growl came to his throat unbidden as Sesshoumaru moved to enter the room. As intelligent as he may be, it still didn't take the intellect of a genius to realize he needed to end this midnight tête-à-tête. Certainly he couldn't allow the two females to speak of him so- it must be stopped and the sooner the better.   
  
Love.   
  
This entire conversation was nothing but nonsense. What did the little miko know of love anyway?   
  
"No. Jaken-sama says that Sesshoumaru-sama is too important to love anything but the Western Lands."   
  
The toad talks too damn much, Sesshoumaru determined, resolved to shut the old youkai's fly-eating snout for good once he returned to the camp pitched just outside the village's boundaries.   
  
The miko just nodded, her easy acceptance of the child's decree somehow gnawing at his nerves. Those plump, pink lips pulled into a tight frown as she combed a hand through the girl's hair, dexterous fingers working at the tangles. "So Sesshoumaru…"   
  
"Sesshoumaru-_sama_…" Rin corrected spontaneously, the sincerity of her eyes causing a slight upward pull on the corners of his mouth.   
  
"…Sesshoumaru-sama…" Kagome agreed easily, "…doesn't love anything but the Western Lands. Hmm. That's a very serious problem, Rin-chan."   
  
"Yeah."   
  
"It is really such a shame that we have to live in the Northern Lands, then," Kagome sighed, her innocent voice startling the youkai from his slump as he shot an extremely deprecating (though unseen) look at the woman.   
  
_Northern Lands? Does the woman not even have the sense to find out where she is?_   
  
"Kagome-san?" Rin spoke up suddenly, her small lips pushed into an uncertain pout.   
  
But the young miko merely smiled down at the girl, a precious sort of light dancing in those mysterious blue eyes.   
  
"Yes, Rin-chan?"   
  
The normally confident child fumbled with her fingers, her eyes focused on her dirty fingernails as a bright blush mottled her cheeks. Undoubtedly attempting not to embarrass the woman she had grown so fond of, when Rin finally spoke, the tone was hesitant and almost too soft to understand.   
  
"We aren't in the Northern Lands," Rin stated uncertainly. "You see, you know when you are in the Northern Lands right away 'cuz there's snow up there. We're in the Western Lands."   
  
Grinning widely, Kagome tapped a finger affectionately against the small, snub nose, her words full of assurance as she broke in.   
  
"So if Sesshoumaru-sama loves the Western Lands and you are part of the Western Lands…" the woman trailed off, her eyes filled with an intelligence and vivacity that left the youkai spellbound. "What does that tell you?"   
  
With a squeal of delight, Rin threw her arms around the nearly purring miko, the heavy weight he hadn't expected the child to bearing on her small shoulders suddenly disappearing into the thin, jasmine-scented air.   
  
The Western Lands. A strange emotion, something uncomfortably close to elation embraced the youkai lord as he considered the words still echoing in his thoughts.   
  
The miko, this Kagome, in her typically eccentric fashion, had brought up an intriguing point: it was his duty, as lord of the Western Lands, to take care of Rin. He had spent nearly his entire life patrolling the wild beauty of his domain, daily exterminating the threats against his land and the people on it. In truth, guarding the child was merely an extension of the duty he had accepted with his accession to power.   
  
No. He couldn't leave the child, not when Rin had already lost so much in her short life. Somewhere along the line, the little girl had become emotionally attached to the youkai lord; therefore, leaving her behind would harm the sensitive child, which in turn meant that he was failing in his duty. And Sesshoumaru, regardless of whatever would come to pass, refused to fail.   
  
"Come on, sweetheart. Let's get you back into bed," Kagome suggested, squeezing the child lovingly a last time before Rin slipped gracefully off her lap. She stood up then, stretching her long legs as her willowy arms reached up towards the rotting wooden ceiling.   
  
His breath hitched deep inside his chest as he witnessed the way the dying candlelight shimmered against the miko's delicate person, the soft glow only enough to outline the soft curves of her body even through the long, white (and technically of a reserved style though it didn't seem to be so modest at that moment) nightdress she wore.   
  
With a hearty yawn, Kagome turned to the child who had snuggled back into the warm pallet set upon the wooden floor, dropping elegantly to her knees as she pulled the woolen blanket up to Rin's rounded chin.   
  
"So, are you feeling any better? Even a little bit?" Kagome asked, her hair sweeping against her thin shoulders as she bent to place a kiss on Rin's forehead.   
  
"Yeah."   
  
"Good!"   
  
"So what made you think about Sesshoumaru…."?   
  
"…-sama," Rin added pointedly.   
  
"…Sesshoumaru-sama and all that other really big stuff, anyway?" the miko asked, brushed the untidy straggles of hair away from the child's cherubic face.   
  
"Oh, that's easy," the child replied, the fear she had been exuding earlier all but gone. "He didn't come back to get me…"   
  
"Yes, he did," the miko interrupted, her voice so strong and certain that Sesshoumaru could have smiled had he been capable of expressing emotion so readily. "He came back a few hours ago but I think he didn't want to disturb you because you were already asleep. He'll be back in the morning."   
  
Innocent brown eyes widened as the girl suddenly sat up, her head narrowly missing Kagome's.   
  
"He did?"   
  
The miko just smiled, her hand gently pushing the child back down upon the thick pallet. "He did. Now I do think you need to go to bed, sweetie."   
  
"Oh, Kagome-sama! Rin was _so_ worried!" the girl gushed, her speech automatically falling into the humbling peasantry dialect of her early childhood that Sesshoumaru had tried so hard to dissuade her from using.   
  
"See," Rin continued excitedly, completely oblivious to the miko's vain attempts to settle the child back down. "When Sesshoumaru-sama has to leave, he gives Rin his … his… " the girl paused suddenly, her mouth twisted in concentration. With a shrug of her shoulders, she continued. "He gives me his signing ring…"   
  
Kagome's elegant black eyebrows knotted together as the little girl persisted in telling the woman something he would have preferred she not know.   
  
"Signing ring?"   
  
"Yeah. Signing ring," Rin nodded, her smile so bright that it was hard to ignore the sudden flood of warmth in his chest. "It's this _really_ special ring that says Sesshoumaru-sama is Sesshoumaru-sama, so I can't lose or else Sesshoumaru-sama will get in a LOT of trouble."   
  
The miko seemed to think it over, her finger pulling at an errant curl that caressed her white neck.   
  
"A signet ring?"   
  
"Yeah. That. A sig-signet ring," Rin acknowledged, her tongue tripping over the difficult word. "He _always_ gives it to me, you know. He just says for me to take care of it for him until he gets back. He said for me not to tell Jaken-sama, though."   
  
"No wonder," Kagome chuckled, honest amusement brightening her beautiful eyes. "Old Jaken would probably think it was a fly…" she snapped her teeth playfully at the child as if there were an invisible insect floating between the two females. "… and try to eat it! But wow. Sesshoumaru-sama must really love you an awful lot to trust you with his signet ring."   
  
For once, the use of _that_ word didn't bother him overly much, so Sesshoumaru leaned against the ancient wooden wall, something inside of him feeling almost content for the first time in years as the child's laughter quaked through her entire body.   
  
"You are so silly, Kagome-san," the child declared grandly, but even from where he stood he could see the sheer happiness in her soft brown eyes.   
  
Silly. Heh. It would have been impossible not to agree with Rin's verdict, but still a slight amusement touched his lips anyway as Kagome finally succeeded in getting the child to lay back within the warm comfort of the worn, green blanket.   
  
"Maybe a little," Kagome admitted ruefully as she blew the child a kiss. "But what I said is true and you know it, Rin-chan." Lovingly, she brushed her lips against Rin's forehead, her delicate hand gliding through the messy hair affectionately. "Seriously, though, sweetheart, there will come times when bad things will happen and sometimes, some people won't be what you think."   
  
Kagome looked up unexpectedly, those dancing eyes smiling warmly as she tossed a conspiring wink towards the tall youkai who stood so silently within the shelter of the darkness.   
  
_She knew I was here? _   
  
The idea that somehow this young, untrained woman had been able to notice his presence even as he had endeavored to remain unseen scratched his pride, but as their eyes met, Sesshoumaru knew, without a doubt that not only had the woman known he was there, she had been aware of his presence for a while.   
  
"But I promise you, Rin-chan," Kagome continued, her face flushed prettily as her lips turned up into a captivating, shy smile aimed solely at the surprised youkai noble. But abruptly, she shook her head and turned to face the little girl's whose eyes were fluttering sleepily. "Sesshoumaru-sama will always be there for you. And while the big dolt may not say it, never doubt that he loves you. All you have to do is watch the way he treats you to know it's true."   
  
The miko spoke so confidently; as if she could see deep inside of him and he was _knew_ that he wasn't that easy to decipher. He was Sesshoumaru- an enigma to even those few who could claim they knew him.   
  
It was easy and convenient and exactly the way he preferred it.   
  
So it was no wonder that her words, meant to be so soothing to Rin, only ended up offending the youkai. The ease with which she declared her opinion grated on his nerves as he questioned her basis for coming to that conclusion.   
  
Was it based on some fantasy definition she carried in her vacuous head about what love was? Undoubtedly, he decided. But her illusions wouldn't last long, not in this world.   
  
After all, how many times had he seen those around him chase that particular rainbow only to end up miserable in their loneliness? It was best, he had ascertained long ago, to just realize that isolation was a part of life. It was a tool, after all. Those who employed their loneliness ended up utilizing their entire being- there was no more wishing and waiting for something that would never come.   
  
He had lived long enough to know for certain it _would_ never come. But, once again, Kagome had proven that he was guilty of giving her much too much credit. However, there was something about her that made him think that if any mere human was capable of understanding how life really worked, _she_ would.   
  
So needless to say, it was a little disappointing to discover that this Kagome suffered from a terminal case of wide-eyed romanticism. After observing this little scene, it was obvious the young miko possessed yet another serious flaw. In hindsight, Sesshoumaru should have known to expect it for it didn't take much perception to realize that the human woman was nothing more than just ...   
  
His thoughts interrupted by the strange sensation, Sesshoumaru looked down at his large hands with astonishment, each of his elegant digits trembling nearly imperceptibly. That simple, physiological reaction boggled his mind, taking everything he ever thought about himself and throwing it on its ear. He _never_ trembled, not from anger, or fear or any other emotion.   
  
Where was the control he normally possessed in abundance? After all, it was merely a matter of his mind governing his body, nothing more. But it was impossible to deny his control had been affected by this insipid interlude for his hands (both his natural and the demon one he kept attached for the sake of convenience) rebelled. A frown distorted his lips as he slowly turned his palms over, his eyes glazing as he stared at the way the calluses on his sword hand blurred slightly from the motion.   
  
Confusion caused him to step instinctively back, only to have to immediately hide a grimace as his foot slammed into the wooden wall. Mechanically, he lifted his chin proudly as he refused to even acknowledge the existence of the curious woman he could feel staring openly at him, the only thoughts in his silver head that of leaving the miserable hut as quickly as possible before _she_ could see his damn hands.   
  
His stride was as long and coldly efficient as he was. Sesshoumaru stalked back to the small camp just beyond the earthen roads of the village, his narrow eyes closed as he allowed his sense of smell to guide him. That small exercise never failed to clear his mind as he was forced to concentrate on using the kiss of the wind to determine exactly what surrounded him.   
  
With simple training exercises such as that, one could see why Inutaishou had been one of the greatest warriors who had ever stalked across the lands.   
  
Unfortunately, it wasn't doing a damn thing to clear his mind since even though he now perhaps half of a mile away, he could _still_ smell her soft, enticing scent.   
  
With a growl of frustration, he opened his eyes as he reentered the small camp; his nose wrinkling as he noticed Jaken had lit a small fire sometime while the young youkai lord was gone. While the two youkai had no use for the bright, sparkling warmth of raw flame (in fact, the intense light impeded sleep), the toad must have been under the impression that Sesshoumaru would return with Rin. And as much as Jaken may claim he hated the child, he never needed to be reminded that Rin needed the fire for survival.   
  
Gracefully, Sesshoumaru seated himself beneath the giant, heart-shaped leaves of a large tree, his golden eyes reflecting the tendrils of light that danced before him. He remained there for a while, his hand working reflexively through the tangles in his long hair as he watched the fire leap, hissing, into the midnight sky.   
  
There was something almost intoxicating about the controlled inferno, the vivid beauty of its wild nature as it continually tried to break free from its binding. The fire was everything he was not: passionate, rebellious, instinctive.   
  
_Beautiful._   
  
He leaned his head back against the prickly bark, his golden eyes staring at the brilliant stars and yet, he did not see anything.   
  
All he could think about was _her_. When did he start considering the miko beautiful? But as much as he knew that thought was a slap in the face to his entire breed, he couldn't help but think it anyway. There was something about those blue eyes, so unlike anything he had ever seen before and about that soft, warm smile she gave so freely.   
  
Kagome was, in truth, unlike anyone he had ever known before and if that wasn't a good enough reason for his curiosity, he didn't know what was. But mere curiosity didn't cause his hands to tremble and curiosity didn't cause one to reflect on the same human for hours.   
  
And simple curiosity didn't cause his legendary control to suddenly die a quick and quite unheralded death proven by the way his hands shook. That was perhaps the worst part of it all, Sesshoumaru decided with a soft sigh.   
  
_Yet another broken vow_, Sesshoumaru thought with no small amount of sadness.   
  
It was just another broken vow.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
_ Sesshoumaru felt the grin commandeer the normally staid expression of his mouth, the formal look he tried so hard to keep completely destroyed as he held his father's sword… now _his_ sword … in his hands.   
  
The proper thing to do would be to allow the sword to rest in its fine, gilded scabbard, yet he seemed unable to restrain himself. Something suspiciously close to a laugh tickled the back of throat, demanding immediate release, as he pulled the sword free. Startling silver metal, polished so carefully that he could even see the golden timbre of his eyes reflected so perfectly upon the cold surface, gleamed in the soft torchlight, each uncertain flicker of light dancing along the blade. With a careful, loving touch, let his finger run carefully down the length, only to chuckle as the engraving's rough grooves tickled his sensitive skin.   
  
Had there ever been a finer sword made?   
  
Sesshoumaru couldn't imagine it was even possible. The Tensaiga was perfection; even though his father had warned him it was only to be used as a weapon against death, not life. But that was fine with him, the boy decided as he sheathed the sword, only to draw it out again dramatically a moment later. After all, anybody could have a sword that killed. No one (except for him!) had a sword that was special enough to kill Death itself!   
  
It was the battle against the Soul Stealer that had changed everything. All it took was that one fight for his father to see that he was no longer just a boy but was a man. The humans had proclaimed him a great hero and warrior, and the great Inutaishou had agreed.   
  
And now this sword was the reward.   
  
For the first time in his life, he felt as though his father actually liked him, that what Sesshoumaru thought and said mattered. And when Inutaishou had told him he was proud of his eldest son, Sesshoumaru almost wondered if the world was going to end. That incomparable feeling of knowing that for once he didn't screw up… in fact, he had done everything right, made him wish with all his heart that things would never change.   
  
His father was _proud_ of him.   
  
Few days were of this caliber, Sesshoumaru decided as his feet rebelled into an excited run. It took all his self-restraint to sheath the beautiful sword as he ran, the desire to charge ahead with the sword drawn out in front of him almost overwhelming.   
  
"Master Sesshoumaru!" a middle-aged youkai blurted as he barely stepped out of the way, the green cast to the narrow eyes allowing the boy to determine that the fellow was some sort of distant relative on his mother's side. There were just so many people living in the fortress that it was difficult to keep them all straight, especially since the boy probably never said more than three words to the creature in his existence.   
  
A cough of laughter escaped as Sesshoumaru tried not to smile at the youkai's shocked expression, for he knew that his normal gravity and reticence was already legendary.   
  
"Are you well, Master Sesshoumaru?" the youkai asked, unaware of how ridiculous he sounded speaking so humbly to a boy not even a tenth of his own age.   
  
"The world is well," Sesshoumaru responded, that grin finally breaking free, shining with an easy charm, "and I am part of that world."   
  
The youkai looked strangely at the heir to the Western Lands, but Sesshoumaru was oblivious: people rarely understood the boy's typically cryptic comments anyway so he had given up long ago trying to explain.   
  
Without another thought, he took off running; his mind was so set on reaching his stepmother's rooms that Sesshoumaru forgot to even bid the youkai goodbye. Sliding across the polished floor, the boy came to an abrupt stop, chuckling for once at his sudden clumsiness as he nearly fell over.   
  
He couldn't wait to tell his stepmother about the trip to defeat the monster that attacked her parents' village. Not only would she be relieved to know they got there just in time to save most of the villagers (including her family), she would appreciate the events for another reason, as well. Out of all the people in the world, his stepmother alone would understand what finally earning his father's respect meant.   
  
And he had the sword to prove it.   
  
"Okaa-", Sesshoumaru broke off suddenly, his forehead puckering as he tested the odd-smelling air with a sniff.   
  
Thick. He could feel the burning rage as it nested in this room he normally considered a sanctuary, its demanding tentacles reaching out and drowning all the air in its devastating grasp as if it were an enraged octopus.   
  
Neither the woman nor the elderly man who hobbled after her noticed the sudden appearance of the young youkai at the entrance to the room; instead their attention was stolen by the woman's livid words.   
  
"No. Not a chance in hell!"   
  
The elderly man clutched at the woman's shoulder tightly, his head shaking almost dumbly as his wrinkled mouth leaked placating phrases that no one, not even he, bothered to listen to.   
  
"Milady," he started, his discoloured teeth chewing on his wrinkled bottom lip nervously.   
  
With a quick, almost harsh movement, the woman shook his grip off, only to glare directly into the man's milky eyes.   
  
"I said I am not remaining."   
  
"But Milady!"   
  
"No buts about it, Jiran. None. Don't waste your breath."   
  
"Milady, for the sake of your child, then…"   
  
"Children, Jiran," the woman snapped, her entire body tensed by the exchange. "For the sake of my children, I'm getting the hell out of here. Now that Sesshou-chan is back, we will leave. Tonight."   
  
"And deprive them of their livelihood, Milady?" the advisor grumbled, his liver-spotted hands gesturing wildly as he tried to force the woman to sit.   
  
"Livelihood? Are you perhaps insane? This isn't a way of life, Jiran," she snorted as she dashed a reddened hand across her blackened eyes. "It's not a livelihood when I watch as the man I love beats the hell out of my child because the poor thing had the audacity to drop a silly old vase. It's not a livelihood when I watch as my Sesshou withdraws more and more into himself because his father can't ever say a kind thing to him. You know what that is? That's a nightmare, Jiran. So what kind of mother does this make me? Not a good one, I'll tell you. But it ends tonight."   
  
It finally happened, he realized suddenly. His father had finally hurt her.   
  
Sesshoumaru felt a deep despair churn deep inside his heart as he watched the woman. How many times had he warned her not to try to interfere? Interfering only made it worse. But no, the woman wanted so desperately to keep him safe that each time his father raged, she'd throw herself directly into the thick of it   
  
Something wasn't right, though. His father hadn't laid a hand against him in over a week…   
  
Inuyasha. Inutaishou must have gone after Inuyasha. But his little brother was still a baby. His stomach knotted and turned painfully as he thought of the innocent five-year-old child, the intense empathy he felt actually making him sick.   
  
Wearily, he leaned against the wall, his breath stuck in his throat as he forced himself to survey the damage from the distance. His stepmother's beautiful brown eyes, normally so expressive and full of life, were narrowed by the tremendous pressure of the swollen, darkened skin that seemed intent to drown everything around it in misery. Even from the distance, Sesshoumaru could easily see the red print welted across the soft cheek, the mark even now mutating into an angry bruise that would insist on usurping most of the woman's white skin. Yet, older bruises the colour of dried grass and dying leaves marked his stepmother's neck, each discolouration a testament to his father's unthinking strength.   
  
Perhaps the sorrow that overwhelmed his heart escaped into the heavy air as a groan, or perhaps the woman's sharp intuition kicked in, but the next thing the young youkai knew was that he was eye to eye with his stepmother.   
  
Instinctively, he shoved the scabbard behind his back in a nearly absurd attempt to keep the woman he had long considered his mother from seeing it. Suddenly, the embarrassment of having that sword was nearly too much to bear as he realized that he didn't think he could handle seeing the pain of disappointment in her wounded eyes.   
  
"Jiran, leave us, please," his stepmother ordered, her voice innately majestic though she had once been a mere peasant. The old man looked at her, frowning, but slowly and obediently, he hobbled out of the room.   
  
"Come and sit down by me," she whispered after Jiran left, immediately taking a seat upon one of the cushions on the floor. Smiling sweetly as Sesshoumaru sat next to her, the look of affection almost grotesque on her battered visage, his stepmother began to absently run her fingers through his silver hair.   
  
"Look at these knots, Sesshou-chan," the woman said vacuously, her very tone filled with an anxiety he had never heard come from her before. "You must have had quite a trip for it to get this messy."   
  
Soundlessly, he leaned his head on her shoulder, drinking in her soothing scent as he suddenly knew where this was headed and that realization alone was exhausting.   
  
"You know I love you, right?" the dark-haired woman whispered, her hand slipping from the tangles in his hair in order to rub small, soft circles upon his back. She smiled at his slow nod.   
  
"I love you with all my heart, Sesshou. And regardless of how it may seem, I love your father as well, even though I don't like him very much right now," she sighed, her fingers absently touching the red mark on her face. "He's a good man but he sometimes lets the silly things overwhelm him, Sesshou. He means well. But the thing is that this is happening too much. And it's getting worse. For a while, when we were first seeing each other, he didn't lay a hand on you. I thought that maybe, just maybe if I were good enough, strong enough, he would never hurt you again."   
  
He could smell her salty tears as she chuckled harshly, the scent emblazoned in his mind forever as something terrible… as a harbinger of the ultimate despair.   
  
"But I don't think it's going to happen, Sesshou-chan. I was a fool to think I could change him. We have to leave before someone... We have to leave, Sesshou."   
  
We? Sesshoumaru frowned, his hand rubbing the polished scabbard of his new sword. Surely she knew his father would never allow them to leave. Never. The youkai lord had a difficult enough time allowing his wife and his youngest son leave the fortress to visit the woman's family. There was no doubt in Sesshoumaru's mind that if they tried to leave, for good, Inutaishou would kill them all.   
  
"We cannot."   
  
The woman looked up, confusion and not a little surprise in her damaged eyes.   
  
"Well, we can't stay here, Sesshoumaru. As it is, I've already let this go on too long."   
  
He snorted, immediately questioning why the woman thought this … any of this … was even remotely up to her. His father held all the cards and there wasn't a damn thing _anyone_ could do about it.   
  
"Where would we go? Where could we possibly go that he would not find us?"   
  
She shook her head wildly, her lips askance as she considered his words.   
  
"We would find a place, even if we have to go to one of the other lands."   
  
"And have them chop us into little tiny pieces in order to avenge themselves upon Father?" Sesshoumaru spit out, his hands shaking as he tried not to see the hurt practically emanating from her. "You know as well as I that the other lords would love an opportunity to injure Father…"   
  
"So what do I do, then?" she grumbled, shooting up to her feet only to pace around the large room. "Stay here? Allow this to happen? Not do a damn thing because I'm scared of what _might_ happen?"   
  
He closed his eyes, his heart beating rapidly as his entire life spun out of control. It only figured that the first time in his life he could truly say he was happy everything went straight to hell. Silently he removed his hand from the scabbard, wishing with all his heart that life would stop misleading him into thinking that things would finally be okay, only to end up tearing that hope out with a macabre vengeance.   
  
"I can't go," Sesshoumaru said suddenly, coming to the decision only as he spoke the words. And the truth was, he couldn't leave. He couldn't imagine leaving his father, not now when things were starting to get better.   
  
"No!" she choked out, her ravaged face suddenly as pale as rice powder. "You can't… You have to come, Sesshoumaru. He'll… you have to come."   
  
"He'll what?" Sesshoumaru prodded, giving into the morbid need to hear the words.   
  
She turned her head away, whether from embarrassment or distress, he wasn't certain.   
  
"I can't handle the idea of you being here by yourself… not with him. Not alone."   
  
He frowned, something boiling inside of him as she refused to listen. Didn't she hear? They didn't have a choice.   
  
"I will not leave my father," he said simply, folding his arms across his narrow chest.   
  
"Your father is a _monster_!" his stepmother cried out, a flush of exertion tingeing the dark colours of the bruises on her face a grisly purple as she turned to face him. "Did you see what that creature did to your baby brother? He's a monster! He's a violent, bloodthirsty youkai!"   
  
His hand shot out before he could even think, the only thing running through his mind was the sheer revulsion in her voice as she spat out the word. _Youkai_. It was almost as if it were a disease. A disease he himself had. His palm slammed into the side of her face, knocking the woman violently from the cushions onto the polished floor.   
  
_Oh, god. What the fuck did I just do?_   
  
He sat there, his hands twisting in the soft silk of the pillows, tearing at the delicate cloth until his fingers were literally hiding within the yielding down. He raised his head, forcing himself to look at the woman who lay sprawled upon the floor, her tears slipping down her face until they mingled with the blood leaking from her lips.   
  
_Drip.   
  
Drip.   
  
Drip.   
  
_ He had done that, Sesshoumaru realized with a start as he watched the blood fall with a strange grace to the ground. But at that moment, the only thing that hurt worse than knowing he had shed her blood was the look in her brown eyes.   
  
She didn't need to say it for it seemed that during that one moment as they stared into each other's eyes, he knew what she thought.   
  
For that one horrible, reckless moment, he had become the embodiment of the most terrible aspects of his father. And the mere thought killed him inside.   
  
He couldn't handle it, Sesshoumaru decided as he turned away, knowing that if he looked at her even a moment longer, he would lose his control again. This time, though, it wouldn't lead to violence. No, something inside told him that if he kept looking at her, he would cry himself. And once he started, Sesshoumaru wasn't sure if he could stop.   
  
"I should have known," she whispered, her voice oddly flat… almost dead. It was hard to reconcile that strange tone coming from the woman he had always loved for the sheer joy she took from living. "I was such a fool to think…"   
  
"You were," Sesshoumaru interrupted suddenly, his words as soft as the wound was deep. He didn't think his heart could survive if she finished that spoken thought.   
  
He could feel her eyes burning into his back, her fear and disappointment so strong that it was virtually tangible. With the refinement of a youkai, she rose from the flooring, the movement so silent that it was hardly discernable. He knew he should say something, anything, but the words refused to depart his throat.   
  
He heard her walk out of the room and a part of him pictured the scene, knowing that no matter what happened, his stepmother would keep her head held up high. That's just who she was.   
  
Sesshoumaru pushed himself from the cushions, flinging himself over the place she had been. He closed his eyes as he felt the warmth her body had left behind slowly begin to fade. Instinctively, he drew his knees up to his chest, feeling somehow comforted and shamed by her residual warmth.   
  
Unable to help himself, he touched a finger gently to the blood on the floor …her blood… and raised it to his eyes. He had done this. His lack of control had done this. But he'd be damned before he'd let anything like this happen again.   
  
He refused to.   
  
His nostrils flared as he closed his hand, watching as the blood smeared over his palm. He was just like his father. Sesshoumaru's head fell, his eyes hidden by his knees.   
  
And softly, his heart broken as he closed his golden eyes, Sesshoumaru began to cry._   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
His eyes flew open as he looked around, his laboured breathing audible to his own ears. Inhaling deeply, Sesshoumaru leaned his head back against the trunk of the tree.   
  
Both his father and his stepmother were dead now and with them- the past. Instead of worrying about the past, Sesshoumaru chastised himself as he closed his eyes, he should be concentrating on solving the problems of the present: like the current hostilities brewing from the lords of the other cardinal points, like silencing the inconvenient Naraku, like getting that damn miko out of his head.   
  
He frowned at the sudden turn of thoughts, his heart suddenly beating just a little faster as he reflected on the young woman sleeping just a half of a mile away. But he'd ignore it, Sesshoumaru decided firmly as he folded his arms resolutely across his chest.   
  
What did a human miko mean to youkai lord, after all? Nothing. She was nothing to him.   
  
The turbulent thoughts doggedly haunted him, keeping his exhausted mind so busy that he no longer even noticed the annoying way Jaken's long tongue clicked and slurped so loudly as the toad youkai slept. All he could think of was trying not to think of _her_.   
  
It was just an hour before the dawning sun rose that Sesshoumaru finally fell asleep, his entire body tense as the heart-stealing memory of a shy, sweet smile refused to be forgotten.   
  
  
  


* * *

**Note:** Man, when I finally revise and stick all this stuff together, this is gonna be a hellishly long chapter. Oh, and don't get too depressed by the happenings. Only three more scenes to get through and things will lighten up considerably. Try to hang in there! :-)   
  
  



	21. Chapter 16E

  
  
**Title:** _Falling Stars_  
**Author:** Celyia (cel@celyia.com)  
**Disclaimer:** _Inuyasha_ and all characters/events within belong to Rumiko Takahashi and minions.  
**Note:** Hola! It's been forever, hasn't it?  
  
Sorry about the long wait, but amid a sea of computer problems, writer's block, and other junk, this story was almost abandoned. Heh. But no worries, FS is back and stronger than ever. Chapter 17 (boring chapter, though) is already written and waiting for me to type up, and I expect 18 won't take too long either.  
  
Special thanks to Alyson Metallium for beta-ing this thing not just once, but twice! Also, thank you to all of you who review. I cannot tell you how much it uplifts my spirits to read those and it's a good reminder to me as why I write in the first place. In all honesty, there would be no _Falling Stars_, _Forget Me Not_ or any other of my stories without your support.  
  
By the bye, I'd like to remind you of the existence of a _Falling Stars_ sidestory I wrote called "The Wish". It's cute. You may like it. *grin* I only bring it up since, according to the logs, only 60 people have read that, compared to the 11k of the main FS and I'm kinda wondering if 1) there is no interest in the sidestories (I have several planned), 2) there is no interest in *that* story, or 3) it got lost in the huge amount of stories being posted daily :-)  
  
Bleh. This is gonna be a long note, but the end of this chapter is long so I don't feel too guilty :-) Oh, a note on the honorifics: I've come to the conclusion that Rin is going to associate "-sama" with someone she loves, like Sesshou and Jaken. In a very strange way, while "-san" is the lower title, she's probably going to feel like its more formal. Hence, I've given her the habit of calling anyone she loves "-sama". She knows better, but she's gonna slip from time to time. Hope I've explained that okay!   
  
Okay. Here's to hoping you guys like this. If possible, can you let me know what you think? I'm just dying (and kind of cringing because, well, I'm kinda scared) to find out.   
  
Thanks a lot! :-)  
  
-Cel  
Email: cel@celyia.com  
Mailing List: http://groups.yahoo.com/celyia/   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
**Chapter 16E**   
  
  
She hated wearing jeans.   
  
There was just something so confining in the coarse, tight denim that she just abhorred. Perhaps it was the rough feel of the fabric pressing against her body, staunchly determined to constrict her every movement until her very skin felt suffocated, or maybe it was in the way she felt naked without the soft, complying pleats of her skirt to shelter the curve of the hips she long disdained from view. In any case, the few times she would don the clothing, she'd always feel uncomfortable, ungainly, and oh so not like herself.   
  
Yet long ago, Kagome had learned the importance of keeping a spare outfit or two in this time. Just in case, she thought with no small amount of annoyance as she flipped the dog-eared page of her math book, she couldn't spare the time to wash her uniform.   
  
Her uniform. A small chuckle erupted from the very back of her throat as she fingered the soft knit collar of her sweater. It was silly, really. Even at her age, even after everything that had happened over the years, Kagome still regularly wore the uniform of her mid-teens. Somewhere along the line, the green and white cotton outfit had stopped being merely the dress of her junior high school and transformed into the unique garb that would serve to proclaim her identity in Sengoku Jidai. In all honesty, it was undoubtedly just foolish sentimentality on her part: not only was the clothing extremely ill-suited for her adventures, it also did mark her (with almost a defiant anger) as someone who was once and always would be an outsider. Certainly she would have an easier time here if she just broke down and wore the red and white garment of her miko's attire, but ...   
  
Just the thought of making that concession caused a part of her, deep inside her heart, to practically snarl. Perhaps it would transform her odd appearance into that of a stately (and tenfold respected) miko, but it always seemed to have the directly opposite effect on her soul. Instead of making her feel like the miko she knew herself to be, her ego was smashed to smithereens with every reference to Kikyou that would inevitably be made. And Kagome would be damned before she allowed that to happen again.  
  
But her school uniform had its problems, too. Originally, she had possessed four sets: two summer and two winter. Unfortunately, Sengoku Jidai wasn't very kind on even the strongest of the reinforced fabrics of the twentieth century and even her most preserved outfit was starting to become rather threadbare. With the recent loss of her only remaining necktie, (_Loss? You gave it away, dingbat!_) she no longer had a complete outfit. After all, it wasn't as if she could replace them anymore, not at her age. Add to that the hassle of trying to keep the ever-inventive Miroku from finding ways to peek up her skirt and also keeping the wind from blowing the flimsy thing up, Kagome always ended up wondering if perhaps this was more trouble than it was worth. But most of all, the thing she hated most about her uniform was its unfortunate effect of making her feel as though she were 15 again. And today, for some reason, she craved that feeling the pair of blasted jeans would give her: that yes, she really was an adult.   
  
So here she was, laying on her stomach as she lazily kicked her jean-clad calves back and forth in the air as she forced herself to study for her dreaded exam. Math, ever the bane of her existence, still insisted on dogging her heels, even now.   
  
_Oi_, Kagome thought with more than a hint of melodrama as she let her head fall onto the wrinkled pages of her worn book. _There is no escape!_ With a deep breath, she attempted to pull her head back up, but with each successive millimeter, her eyes alighted on more and more numbers.  
  
Dejectedly, her head fell back to her book, her nose resting above the torn spine.   
  
Math just had that effect on her.  
  
"Kagome-san? What are you doing?" she heard Rin's voice ask tentatively, the innately curious tones close to her ear.  
  
"I'm studying," the woman responded, inhaling a deep breath as her fingers curled in the soft grass. Lifting her head to look at the child, a small smile touched her lips automatically as her eyes met Rin's brown ones.  
  
"Can I study too?"  
  
Something deep inside completely melted as Kagome laid there, her hands now propping up her chin as she saw the absolutely earnest expression on the child's face. There was no other word for it, Kagome decided with a smile: the kid was damn adorable.   
  
"Don't you want to play tag with the other kids?"  
  
Rin sighed dramatically as she sat down next to Kagome, her snub nose wrinkling as her eyes gazed longingly out at the dozen or so children playing what looked to be a very violent game indeed.  
  
"I do, but ..."  
  
"But what?" Kagome prompted, her eyes carefully scouring the meadow for any problems, just in time to see a little boy, no more than Rin's age, tumble headfirst into a spattering of white, scrawny flowers. Wincing even though the boy jumped up and rubbed the back of his head embarrassedly as the other kids giggled, Kagome nodded.  
  
"Looks a bit rough out there."  
  
"But I'm a big girl," the girl protested, her lower lip thrust out into a pout as she watched the game being played without her. "But Shippou-chan... well, he doesn't think so. He gets SO mad whenever anyone tries to tag me. I _said_ Maeki-chan didn't mean to make me fall before but..."  
  
"But Shippou-chan is being a bit overprotective, huh?"  
  
The child nodded emphatically, her hair swinging almost violently. "Yeah. That."  
  
Hiding the grin that wanted to emerge as she realized Rin had no clue what "overprotective" meant, Kagome took the opportunity to close the math book and watch the chaos before her.  
  
"Well, that just means Shippou-chan is watching out for you, Rin-chan. He's just trying to be a good friend."  
  
"But... but no one will even try to tag me!" Dramatically, the child fell to her knees and started to yank handfuls of grass out by the roots. Sighing with boredom, Rin flicked the grass over her shoulder. "I want to play."  
  
"No one's stopping you, sweetheart," Kagome nudged the girl in her ribs, only to be rewarded by a high-pitched giggle.  
  
"That _tickles_!"  
  
Kagome blinked in her surprise as she looked at the child innocently.   
  
"What tickles?" the woman asked, tapping her chin with a slow, deliberate motion. The corner of her mouth curved into a smile as her fingers suddenly attacked the child's ribs. "You mean that tickles?"  
  
Screaming in glee, Rin threw her hands up in the air as she fell to the ground, squirming as the laughter rang through the fresh air. "Yeah! Stop! Stop!" Rin gasped out, her small body practically pushing itself against the woman's tickling fingers.  
  
With a completely impassive look on her face, Kagome stopped tickling the girl and waited.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Hey what?" Kagome asked gamely, vaguely aware as several of the playing children stopped in their steps to see what the racket was all about.  
  
"You _stopped_!"  
  
"But..."   
  
The child looked somewhat frazzled for a moment before a mischievous look came into the soft, brown eyes. "I'm gonna get you, Kagome-sama!"   
  
Rolling dramatically away as small, tanned hands reached to tickle her ribs, Kagome laughed.   
  
"You know this means war, right?" the woman panted out, more amused by the glee in the child's eyes than the actual tickling itself. Chortling at the undisguised delight on Rin's face as the girl suddenly pulled her hands away to cover her tummy, Kagome swooped down upon the child and reassumed the torture.  
  
"What's so funny?" she heard Shippou's voice query; the tone almost accusing as the kitsune practically hovered over the girls.  
  
"Rin started it!" Kagome giggled, her blue eyes round and (one could almost say) overly innocent, as she shoved a thumb in Rin's direction.  
  
"HEY! I did n..."  
  
"But that's only because she's so much fun," the miko explained, grinning as she watched the girl stop her protests long enough to puff up with pride.   
  
"But not as much fun as me," Shippou quickly stated, his tone brooking no room for disagreement as he shot the little girl an evil eye that Kagome didn't miss.  
  
"Oh, I don't know, Shippou-chan. Rin-chan may be just as fun as you are."  
  
His wide eyes narrowed suspiciously as he considered both of the females.   
  
"Where did you go, anyway?" the kitsune barked, his squeaky voice sounding so much like Inuyasha's in that moment that Kagome just felt her mouth quirk in amusement. "We've been waiting for you so you could play."  
  
"No, you haven't."  
  
"We have, too."  
  
"Have not!"  
  
"Have too!"  
  
"Children, please!" Kagome muttered, rubbing at the bridge of her nose.   
  
"Have not!"  
  
"Have... come on! Don't you know anything?" Shippou blew air out from between his tightly pursed lips even as his small paw wrapped around Rin's wrist. "Don't you know that this is Kagome's study time? And the less she studies here, the longer she'll have to stay in the well?"  
  
Well, that was an interesting interpretation, Kagome decided, leaning over to kiss Rin and then Shippou on their young cheeks. But, she supposed, there was some truth to it. After all, she couldn't make the same mistakes now in university that she did during secondary school.  
  
"Shippou..."  
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin's sweet voice called out, her hands clasping together excitedly as she stared at a spot just beyond Kagome's right shoulder.   
  
_Great. Who knows how long he's been standing there listening to me go off like an idiot. Wonderful. He undoubtedly already thinks I'm a moron after the fiasco yesterday..._  
  
Kagome closed her eyes, stifling the urge to sit up and hide her bandaged foot. There was just something so discomfiting about allowing Sesshoumaru to see her like this-- sprawled so indelicately across the ground, large green marks from the grass staining her knees and elbows. A flush darkened her cheeks as she remembered the time not so long ago when the roles had been reversed-- except she had, at that point, a lethal arrow pointed directly at his heart.  
  
"Rin," his soft voice called out, resonating that stately assurance he always seemed to.  
  
"Good morning, Sesshoumaru-san," Kagome started.  
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama," Rin corrected automatically, a faint smile on her cherubic face as she stared hard at Shippou. The kitsune squirmed under the friendly but intense scrutiny. With a shrug of her thin shoulders, the child waddled close to the woman, grabbing the doll that Kagome had thought the child had forgotten.  
  
"Thank you, Kagome-sama," the little girl bowed regally-- the gesture odd yet graceful. Yet, Rin remained oblivious to the golden eyes that Kagome couldn't seem to forget were watching, the child's mouth pulling into a small frown at her goodbye.  
  
"Ah, Rin-chan, I keep telling you not to call me that. Kagome is just fine," the woman mumbled, brushing a hand, the awkward movement screaming embarrassment, through her hair. "Anyway, you know that you are wonderful to have here and you are more than welcome to come back any time you want. Well, if Sesshoumaru-san says it's okay."   
  
Screw it, Kagome shook her head suddenly as she watched the light sheen of tears glaze the child's brown eyes. Rebelliously, she reached out and pulled the girl into her arms, nuzzling the soft mass of wild black hair with her lips. The little girl needed to be hugged and kissed, regardless how the youkai may feel about the propriety of such an act. Screw him, she thought violently even as she kissed the crown of Rin's head, and screw that macho bull that makes him unable to give this baby the love she so obviously needs.  
  
_Oh, be fair, Kagome. It's obvious he loves the girl, even if he can't say the words. After all, he makes a hell of a better father to Rin than Inuyasha ever made to Shippou._ She winced at the train of thought, squeezing the girl one last time before she reluctantly let Rin go. Did she really consider Inuyasha to be a father figure for the kitsune cub?   
  
No, Kagome didn't. Perhaps at one time, she would have liked to have thought so, but the relationship between the two was more akin to a sibling rivalry for her attention than anything else. Therefore, the comparison was an extremely unfair one to make.  
  
But it didn't stop the thought from rushing through her head, anyway.  
  
"If you _ever_ need anything, all you have to do is say the word, sweetheart," Kagome insisted, her hands clasping tightly onto the child's. With pleasure, she watched as Shippou took a step closer and nodded in agreement. "I'm gonna miss you, Squirt."  
  
"Squirt?"  
  
"She says that when she likes you," Shippou explained conspiringly, his small paw mussing up the girl's hair, sweetly reminiscent of the way Kagome used to do that to Souta. Just the sight alone nearly made her giggle, though she quickly stifled her response. "She uses a lot of weird words sometimes."  
  
"Rin wishes you could co--"  
  
"Rin, make certain those children do not injure you," Sesshoumaru's voice broke in, the sound somewhat startling even in its softness.   
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama?"  
  
With a pointed look towards the rambunctious children rampaging through the trampled flowers and grass, the youkai lord spoke again.  
  
"Do not allow playing to wear your out. There is a long journey ahead."  
  
The girl blinked, looking every bit as startled as she stared at her guardian.  
  
"Come on, Rin," Shippou muttered as he grabbed her wrist and yanked. "Come on before he changes his mind!"  
  
Rin shook her head, beaming as she lurched forward towards the youkai, her chubby arms outstretched. Still, she seemed to think better of it and let those arms drop to her side.  
  
"Thank you SO much, Sesshoumaru-sama. Rin wanted ... I wanted so much to play with my friends. I never had friends before."  
  
Kagome shook her head, smiling slightly at the girl's delight as Shippou finally succeeded in pulling her away.   
  
"Well, that's one happy little girl," she mumbled, her hand suddenly in the air as she returned Rin's enthusiastic wave. "I'd say you made her day, Sesshoumaru-san."  
  
But the youkai obviously didn't deem it necessary to answer her for he just looked at the woman, those unsettling eyes piercing the morning light with their serious gaze. After a moment, he nodded his head -- an acknowledgement to what he undoubtedly considered her rather unworthy existence -- and turned his attention to the children laughing so happily just beyond.  
  
He needed to relax. Big time, Kagome nodded to herself as she watched the tense way Sesshoumaru held himself as he folded his arms across his chest. Some wisp of emotion flickered in his eyes, the look gone before she could even identify what it was. Still, his hands clenched as she heard a bunch of rambunctious screams -- she didn't need to look to deduce that the children had fallen in a pile since it was obvious (to her quick eyes, at least) that it was taking much of Sesshoumaru's restraint not to race to his little ward's rescue.  
  
_He's a good father._  
  
The thought came unbidden and somehow embarrassed her, but she decided the title was fitting. Who would have ever thought she'd be in the position to ever see Sesshoumaru's paternal instincts? The idea was amusing, to say the least. Not so long ago, she had been convinced that any meeting with Sesshoumaru would eventually end in tragedy.  
  
But now, she was sitting here in the warm rays of the morning sun, as he stood no more than ten feet away; watching nervously as the girl he seemed to love like a daughter played in a wild game of tag. _Good on you, Sesshoumaru_, Kagome nodded, a smile coming to her lips as she tried not to look back at the youkai. _Good on you for giving a damn when most people wouldn't._  
  
Propped up on her elbows, she continued to lay there in silence as she watched the antics of the children. Considering the way they ran around and screamed so merrily, you would have thought that their mothers had never allowed them out to play before. Still, it was so nice to see Rin and Shippou playing out there like normal children. That really didn't...  
  
Her thoughts broke off suddenly as the smooth scent of leather and the spicy scent of maleness wafted before her nose just a second before the shadow fell upon her. It took all her willpower not to look up as she felt Sesshoumaru's tall, slender figure stand above her, his formidable presence practically blocking out what little sun his head didn't. The weight of his golden stare burned into the back of her neck, the feeling so oddly disturbing that Kagome pulled the discarded mathematics book before her and opened it to a page.  
  
Any page.  
  
The youkai noble had yet to say a word to her, but she could feel something, almost like electricity, in the air as she pretended to read the book, her fingers tightly clutching the pencil that had been hiding beneath the cover.   
  
_Why on earth is he staring at me?_  
  
Kagome shook her head, the movement instinctive and nearly unnoticeable, as she tried to banish the sudden blush that touched her tanned cheeks. Self-consciously, she tugged on the back of her blue knit sweater, pulling the soft fabric down to cover the small of her back. Still, it seemed almost inconceivable that the youkai could look at her for so long (it seemed like minutes had passed already!) without his critical eyes focusing on something that he deemed wrong with her.  
  
His disregard shouldn't have amused her, but the next thing that Kagome knew was that her face was buried within the text of the book in a desperate plea to hide the sudden smile she knew the youkai would not appreciate. Did he really think she cared about what he thought of her? Still, she could live without him hovering over her shoulder.  
  
"Feel free to sit down," she bit out, the resolve in her voice hinting that her words were not really a suggestion at all.   
  
Still, the stubborn youkai stood there, although he seemed to relax a little by leaning against the trunk of a particularly thick tree.  
  
"You know, in most parts of the world, that's called 'standing'," Kagome shot off, a rather uncustomary smirk on her lips.  
  
Sesshoumaru just looked down at her, a slender brow quirked in a rather arrogant fashion.  
  
"In most parts of the world," he stated, the words flowing with a nearly mechanical grace, "it is usually more productive to read when the book in question is not upside-down."  
  
Startled, Kagome glanced down at her book, only to feel like chucking it at him when she realized that it was fine. Stupid youkai and their dumb senses of humor.  
  
But no matter how much she cursed him in her thoughts, the smile on her lips just wouldn't go away.  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
It was a rather interesting experience.   
  
In all of his existence, Sesshoumaru had never before remained in the presence of a human for such an amount of time without having them cower before him as though he could destroy them in a single swipe of his elegantly manicured claws.  
  
Even if it was the truth.  
  
But to remain there, in such a comfortable silence, watching Rin and the other children play in the background as Kagome, lost in her books and papers, worked industriously on another sum, was rather an intriguing feeling. Comfortable was the key word, though he had no clue as to why he would feel such a way. Certainly he should move on and leave this farce behind before anything else went wrong, yet Sesshoumaru was reluctant to do so.  
  
Perhaps it was the unexpected emotion he felt when he had heard Rin speak so blithely about finally having a friend. Or perhaps... no. It was definitely due to Rin's words. The child had followed him without complaint for such a long time that she had earned a reward for her obedience. And if the child wished to mingle with the peasantry for a few hours, then he would allow it this once. It was a small enough sacrifice to make.   
  
Yet, it was a disturbing thought. He had previously thought the child happy enough, with her easy smile and infectious giggles, but as he watched her romp around with the children just beyond, Sesshoumaru had to admit that there was a rather distinct difference. This Rin practically glowed from joy, her little face alight as she suddenly bopped another child in his pudgy arm playfully, earning a disgruntled wince from the boy.  
  
Could Rin actually be suffering from loneliness? The thought was repugnant and almost demoralizing as his eyes narrowed, his lips swerving into a frown. Loneliness was something he would wish on no one and the idea that the child might be suffering from it actually made him question his ability to take care of her. Well, for all of two seconds. He _was_ a youkai lord, after all. Who better equipped to raise a child than he?  
  
"Hey, guys. Play nicely!" the woman suddenly called out, not bothering to look up from scribbling in the book. But the children had managed to meander far enough away as to not to hear the shouted words.  
  
Still the woman's ability to know what was happening with the children while calculating sums was quite intriguing. It shouldn't have surprised him since the woman had shown every sign of being an excellent mother, from the way that she had taken the kitsune in as her own and, even more impressively, mothered his Rin even though the woman _had_ to be aware that she would probably never meet the child again after this day.   
  
She would be quite a good mother, really.   
  
He stared at her, smirking as her pretty cheeks reddened from his scrutiny. The woman, this Kagome, was actually a resource that was wasting away in this small, forgotten village. It would be a rather unwise choice to leave...  
  
"You shall be the mother of my children."  
  
Kagome looked up, blinking either from the sunlight that danced in her blue eyes or shock, Sesshoumaru couldn't tell.  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
The damnedest thing was that Sesshoumaru had no intention of saying that aloud, yet now that he had, he couldn't regret it. She would make an excellent mother. Yes. Aside from being quite attractive in her provincial way, she was obviously intelligent, educated, hygienic. His smirk shifted into a knowing smile as he nodded at her. In fact, it really was a rather tidy solution to several of his problems. There was not a doubt in his mind that this proud lioness would protect his children with her life, would love them as a mother should. He could even imagine it now-- her wavy hair flying in the wind as she chased several children down the steps of his fortress, one of her large, strangely attractive smiles on her pretty face.  
  
Yes, it was an image he could actually look forward to seeing. With a momentary glance towards Rin, Sesshoumaru turned the full power of his gaze towards Kagome.   
  
"You shall return with me," he said, his tone strong even as he tried to temper it with gentleness. Undoubtedly, the woman's... Kagome's surprise at the honor of being allowed to follow him was so great, that the normally verbose woman couldn't find the words to speak.  
  
His control nearly failed as a chuckle tickled his throat, begging to be released as he witnessed the way her large, expressive eyes widened. Kagome was obviously in the middle of a desperate attempt to understand, and while he had not thought his words that difficult to comprehend, the level of innocence this showed was almost exciting. With an approving nod, Sesshoumaru bestowed an extremely rare half-smile on the woman.   
  
The more the moments passed, the more certain Sesshoumaru became of his choice. The miko, with her strange powers, would be quite a tolerable mother, he decided as he allowed himself to examine her startled features carefully. And she had the added benefit of being quite beautiful for a human, as well. Yes, she was actually quite singularly beautiful. It was certainly a strange thing he had not noticed it before, but then, Sesshoumaru couldn't fault himself too much -- humans, with their odd ways and smelly bodies, tended to fall beneath his notice.   
  
Of course, Sesshoumaru decided at that instant, his golden eyes falling to her pretty lips, he could never allow himself to produce a hanyou with the woman. After all these years of hell, he'd be damned if he made his father's unthinking mistakes, but. still, there were ways around that. While his experiences with the weaker sex were, admittedly, extraordinarily limited (especially for one of his age and rank), Sesshoumaru was worldly enough to know that much. There were always ways around _that_.   
  
Nonetheless, Kagome would be a decent mother. While, with circumstances being as they were, he would not allow her to have any children born from her own body, he would allow her to raise Rin and any other heirs he may produce. Undoubtedly, the woman's active mothering instincts would kick in and she would enjoy a protective and productive life in this new role.  
  
Watching as a slight, rosy blush crept up on Kagome's tanned cheeks, Sesshoumaru decided that he very much liked the look. The tanning, though branding her as the most menial of peasants, did much to flatter her fine features. Not to mention, it was probably a quite good idea to keep the lines between their classes not only present, but firmly etched into her life.   
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama?" the miko stumbled over his name, blue eyes hesitantly searching his face even as the confusion practically emanated from her.  
  
_Sesshoumaru-sama?_ She had always referred to him as "Sesshoumaru-san" in the past. It was such an odd thing to hear from her pretty mouth, and though he knew he should have felt pleased at the easy way she fell into her new role, the foolish part of him that resided within the hidden depths of his soul couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed.  
  
Brushing that thought aside, he turned his back on the woman.  
  
"Come," Sesshoumaru grunted as he glanced towards Rin. Yes, it would be best if the miko learned her place now-- the last thing he needed was for the woman to corrupt Rin with her awkward ways.  
  
"Excuse me?" Kagome's voice interrupted his thoughts, the tone sounding quite strained. Shaking her head, she pushed herself up to her feet as she peered at Sesshoumaru, her hands moving anxiously through her rather messy hair.  
  
Silent and still, he stood there, waiting for her to follow.  
  
"Collect Rin. You may also collect the kitsune child, if you so desire. As for you, take only that which you cannot part with. You will..." he drawled, allowing himself a look at the rather shameless and tight garment she wore, "... be given clothing at the fortress that befits your station."  
  
"Befits my station..." she repeated in a slow voice, dumb and monotone.   
  
"You cannot expect to continue dressing the way you do now," Sesshoumaru commented, slowly walking around her still figure in order to get a better look at her clothing. His eyes scanned her body, trailing up her long legs to the narrow stomach and nicely rounded chest, only to stop at the bright red face. Pleasing, yes, but not proper. "Perhaps my brother ... "  
  
"I ..." Kagome started, trying in vain to hide her shaking hands behind her back. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "I can't be your wife, Sesshoumaru-sama."  
  
He paused, blinking as her words invaded his thoughts. A harsh chuckle resounded from his throat, let loose by his surprise even as his long legs carried him back to face her.   
  
"You think too highly of yourself, human," he sneered, looking down at her petite form with the full strength of his golden gaze. "What did I, Sesshoumaru, say of you being my mate? I merely said you would ..."  
  
"Hey!" the girl interrupted, her hands up before her as those normally soft, blue eyes turned to stone as she glared at him.  
  
Glared at him?  
  
His face automatically schooled itself into a blank, impassive stare as the incredible anger on her face finally registered in his brain. Anger? Certainly she was far too intelligent to be be angry with him for just merely telling her the truth?   
  
"I... I am not like _that_," Kagome insisted, her eyes flashing like summer lightning as she met his eyes.  
  
"I, Sesshoumaru, realize this," he responded impatiently. "That is why you would be acceptable." Truly, the woman could be as dense as a rock for all her prowess with mathematics. Had the woman even a modicum of sense, she would realize she was in the wrong and cease arguing.  
  
"I ... No. Absolutely not," she ground out from between her white teeth, arms folded across her chest as she looked resolutely upon the young nobleman.  
  
_No?_  
  
He stood there, his stance unconsciously matching her unyielding one as he forced any and all signs of emotion from his sculpted face.  
  
_She just refused me?_  
  
Yet the frown, stubbornly, came back to twist his lips in displeasure as he looked her over carefully, his heart beating rapidly and forcefully. _Why would she refuse when she has everything to gain..._ he paused in the thought as the reason for her denial finally struck.  
  
"I understand," Sesshoumaru spat, feeling the anger he thought he had locked up so successfully within boil and churn deep within his stomach, demanding immediate release. "You wished to become my mate. That, _human_, you could never be."  
  
She stumbled backwards, undoubtedly surprised by the violence of his anger.  
  
_Good. She should be scared._  
  
Falling with her back against the tree, Kagome stared at him, those blue eyes wide in what could only be called shock.  
  
"I don't _want_ ..."  
  
"Silence!" he barked, his hand waving her words away as though they were not fit to fall upon his ears. "It is despicable enough," Sesshoumaru continued, his words soft yet piercing, "that I was willing to allow you, a mere _human_, into my home and bed. But for you to wish to become my mate? Your ambition truly knows no bounds."  
  
Her face paled beneath her sun-kissed tan as she leaned back against the tree, almost as if she were stealing her strength from nature itself. But the transformation was sudden as she darted forward and for a moment, he was certain she was going to slap him.  
  
Yet, Kagome raised her chin, those magnificent eyes narrowed in some emotion as she returned his stare, her hands clenching nervously at her side.   
  
"I would die before I would allow that," she started, her words crescendoing with every syllable. Anger leapt off of her, infusing not only her trembling body but the very air that separated them with the vehemence of her disregard. "You think so highly of yourself, Sesshoumaru. 'I, Sesshoumaru, this.' 'I, Sesshoumaru, that.' Get over it. Grow the hell up. You think that just because you ... you aren't ugly and because you are some dumb youkai lord, you are god's gift to the whole stupid universe, don't you?"  
  
She paused for breath, unconsciously flicking her straggling bangs out of her face as she continued. "Listen up and listen up good, buddy. I don't give a damn. I don't give a bloody damn. You make me sick. You actually _disgust_ me -- from your callous disdain for everyone but yourself, to your willingness to destroy people's hearts and minds for your own selfish gain. For three years now, count 'em -- that's three damn years -- I've watched you hurt Inuyasha. Hurt Rin. Hurt Jaken. Do you _ever_ stop hurting anyone? God, why do I bother? What do _you_ care?"  
  
"I, Sesshoumaru, do not," he spat, wishing more than anything he knew the words to shame her. To hurt her. To make _this_ hurt less. No, it didn't hurt, Sesshoumaru told himself firmly. It couldn't hurt.  
  
He wouldn't allow the bitch to do that to him.  
  
"I know," Kagome spoke suddenly, the words lifeless. "I'm so stupid. I actually forgot for a little while, but I remember. Now anyway. Too late I remember," the girl sighed, her voice infinitely sad, her anger drained. "Go away, Sesshoumaru. Just leave me alone."  
  
She just dismissed him? He stared at her, paralyzed by shock, hating her more in that one second than he ever hated his father during the entire span of the old bastard's life.  
  
Slowly, wearily, she slid down the tree, her arms wrapped tightly around her small, vulnerable form. He could smell the hint of blood from her bitten lip and it didn't take much deductive reasoning to understand that the woman was doing her damnedest not to cry.  
  
He had made her cry.  
  
Just like that. The creature probably cried all the time, anyway. In fact, he should be congratulating himself on it. It was no less than she deserved, after all. And what did he care, anyway? He _didn't_ care.   
  
But if he didn't care, why did he suddenly feel like the biggest bastard to have ever have stormed over the face of the world? Something deep within called out to him, demanding that he do something, _anything_, to still those silent, pained tears.  
  
Unable to help himself, he looked down at her, his mind burning the image of her into memory as she struggled not to weep on the slightly damp grass. He had to fight the temptation to kneel before her, the temptation to debase himself in order to see one of her pretty smiles. Instead, he allowed himself to meet her eyes, only to take a sudden step back in surprise.  
  
Honesty.  
  
Had he not known it was impossible, Sesshoumaru would have sworn he felt his heart fall like a brick to his feet, as he realized that there was no hatred in those startling eyes, only honesty. She _believed_ what she said. Kagome had meant every single word she had stated, and probably a few more that she had been too polite to utter.   
  
Cruel. Selfish. Uncaring? _This_ is what she really thought of him. This is what she saw when she looked at him.  
  
For one brief moment, Sesshoumaru wished he had the words to explain. He wished he knew how to tell her what he was thinking, what he felt, to assure her that he hadn't meant to offend. He wanted nothing more, in that fleeting, intangible moment, than to go to her side and say what he should have said in the first place. To say it _right_.  
  
To tell her that unlike nearly every human he had ever met, he actually _respected_ her. And for some reason he didn't really want to delve in to, he would prefer it if she were to remain in his company. As incredible as the thought was, there was a part of him that actually enjoyed seeing her, in her busy happiness, around.  
  
He stood there, frozen, as he watched one tear finally escape the confines of her eyes, rolling down her face. His heart ached to touch her, to comfort her, to wipe away the tear, even though he knew she would only push him away.  
  
After all, she had said it herself -- he disgusted her.  
  
He closed his eyes, willing the surprising pain to go away but he found that there was nothing he could do at that moment to minimize it. In fact, the feeling was so strong that it literally hurt his chest. He couldn't breath, but he didn't want to banish it, either. As insane as it sounded even in his own mind, a part of him believed he deserved the pain for hurting her. After all, as he had just proven, there is more than one way to slap a woman.   
  
Instinctively, longingly, his hand reached out to her, aching to smooth her tousled hair, aching to comfort her quiet tears until nothing was left but the smile that he had, somewhere along the line, grown so used to. But even as he started to reach out, his hand fell to his side as the futility of the gesture hit him.  
  
After all, she was disgusted by him.  
  
The growl came unbidden to his throat, the sound startling the girl out of her daze. Blinking, Kagome glanced up, only to have her lovely blue eyes captured by his golden ones.  
  
She didn't want him.  
  
And that was the way it should be. He would have been insulting not only his family pride but his _own_ by allowing the human into his life. It was a certain as winter rain that the little miko needed a lesson as to her place was in this life -- that, due to her inferiority, would always be doomed to wallow on the lower levels where humanity rightfully dwelled.  
  
"Rin!" he bellowed, oblivious to the way the child jumped in a panic at his loud cry, even though he savored the way Kagome winced. He waited, his eyes never leaving Kagome's defiant but trapped eyes even as Rin rushed up. "Retrieve Jaken. We will leave now."  
  
The child's face crumpled, but she nodded. With a sad shrug in Shippou's direction, the child raced off in search of her guardian's retainer.  
  
"Kagome-chan?"  
  
The woman broke away from Sesshoumaru's stare to smile down at the young youkai who tugged so innocently on her sweater.   
  
"I'm okay. Allergies. You know how I get sometimes ... "  
  
"Allergies?" the kitsune repeatedly, bestowing a dubious look upon the woman.  
  
"Yeah ... "  
  
"Oh, I _get_ it," Shippou stated as he threw his arms around her neck. "You are sad about Rin-chan leaving. It's okay, Kagome. She'll be back."  
  
Her smile brightened as she nodded, her lips brushing against the kit's forehead.  
  
"You're right, Shippou-chan. Thank you for reminding me what's _really_ important here," she whispered, her words oddly peaceful. "Why don't you go help Rin for a few minutes?"  
  
The child looked as though he might disagree for a moment, but the look on Kagome's face brooked no argument. With a small smile, the kitsune scampered off in search of the little girl who had become his friend.  
  
"Take care of her," Kagome stated suddenly, her eyes focused on Shippou's retreating form. "If you ever hurt her, I'm going to seriously kick your ass."  
  
His frowned deepened as he glared at the young woman.  
  
"You dare presume to tell me how I shall treat the child?"  
  
"It's about time someone did," she shot off, her face flushing as she pulled herself back up to her feet.   
  
"You are a fool, human. One that demeans the very world by your mere existence."  
  
"Oh, nasty. Oddly flowery, but nasty. Wow. That just really hurt," the miko mocked, the back of her fist brushing away the tears that had fallen stopped falling.  
  
"The truth often does."  
  
"Brilliant. Tell me, Sesshoumaru, did you get that little gem off of a fortune cookie or did you have to put your genius youkai mind to work in order to come up with that one?"  
  
"Must you prattle on so, woman?" he grumbled, stepping away from her trembling form. "You pollute the air with your nonsense."  
  
"Oh, just shut _up_," Kagome snapped, her pretty face contorted by impatience and anger.   
  
"Your eloquence," he ground out, sweeping a low bow just because he had a very strong feeling it would annoy her, "amazes me."  
  
He was right.  
  
She stood there, beautiful in her rage, her eyes narrowed in hostility as she glared at him. Carefully, Sesshoumaru schooled his face to hide all his hate, all his burning anger beneath the façade of cool indifference.  
  
They remained there, like two silent duelists standing _en garde_, unwilling to strike and yet, both unable to back down. For a moment, he thought they just might remain that way forever -- caught, like a deer in a trap, in the hostility of one another's feelings.  
  
But with a defiant shake of her head, Kagome broke away, her face red as her eyes transfixed to a point just beyond his shoulder.  
  
"Inuyasha..." she breathed.  
  
With a single sniff to the air, confirmed that which her vivid eyes informed him -- his half-brother, fueled by anger and rage, approached. Normally, he might have chuckled at his brother's thrumming hatred, but strangely enough, only five words chose to pass through his startled brain at that point.  
  
_Just what I fucking need._  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
His golden eyes, so much like his brother's, narrowed as the scent floated before him intensely- a brilliant color brushed upon the canvas of his senses.  
  
"Sesshoumaru!" he barked, his face still pallid and clammy from unseen injuries. With a growl, his eyes took inventory of his older brother, noting the intensity of the anger and hatred that practically leapt off of the lord's straight form, even as those golden eyes remained cold and uncaring.  
  
_The feeling is mutual, brother dear._  
  
Yet Sesshoumaru merely looked at the hanyou, features impassive and blank even as Inuyasha took a step closer.  
  
"Haven't you got the hint?" Inuyasha blasted, his palm resting on Tetsusaiga's hilt protectively. He grinned ferally as Sesshoumaru's hands clenched suddenly -- a sure sign that he succeeded in annoying him. "You aren't going to get it. You aren't going to win."  
  
But for the first time in his entire life, the young hanyou saw something in his brother's nearly unreadable eyes that he had never imagined he would see: defeat. A cocky grin pulled at the corner of his mouth as he pushed his chest out in pride. It was about damn time his brother saw the way things were going to be.   
  
Had he not known better, Inuyasha would have thought he saw a shadow of emotion flicker in his brother's golden eyes as they rested on Kagome's delicate features (_Wait. Has she been crying?_), but before he could really process the idea, the dog youkai gave a short, nearly imperceptible nod.  
  
"I no longer wish for it," Sesshoumaru stated, his voice filled with an acridity that even Inuyasha had never heard come from his nearly unflappable brother. "No. I do not wish for it at all." With a shake of the head, the youkai quietly turned to look his brother in the eye.  
  
"But you, brother, you have earned the right to carry Tetsusaiga. Father would be proud," Sesshoumaru murmured, the very softness of the tone striking Inuyasha with its sincerity. For a moment, he almost thought he saw a faint smile tug at Sesshoumaru's thin lips but that was completely forgotten as he heard the next words. "And your mother. She would be proud to see how you turned out, brother."  
  
They stared at each other, the years of hate too present in both their minds and hearts to disappear with simple words, but it was obvious some sort of concession had been made between the siblings this day.   
  
"Bye, Kagome-san!" he heard a small voice pipe up. Surprised, he glanced down at the young girl who currently had latched onto the young woman's side with the tenacity of a starving leech.   
  
The woman looked startled, but dropped to her knees in order to envelop the girl in her arms.  
  
_Great. She got attached to ANOTHER brat._  
  
"You be safe and take care of yourself, Rin-chan," Kagome tried to smile. "And listen to Sesshoumaru-sama."  
  
"Rin will!"  
  
"Rin..."  
  
"I will!"  
  
And then, with absolutely no word or warning, Sesshoumaru walked away, his head held high as he made his way through the long, damp blades of grass.  
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin cried as she ran to catch up, her stubby legs covering an absurd amount of ground with a surprising speed. "Sorry we took so long, but Jaken-sama was eating flies!"  
  
"No, this Jaken was NOT!"  
  
"Was too."  
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama! Can't we just leave the child here?"  
  
"You're so funny, Jaken-sama!"  
  
With a snort, Inuyasha turned away from his brother and looked to the sword that rested so innocuously at his side.  
  
Euphoria spread through his body as he drew the sword from the scabbard and hefted Tetsusaiga proudly to the clouds, the feeling brilliant and shining, as Inuyasha felt for the very first time since retrieving the sword from his father's grave, that it was truly his.  
  
Triumphantly, he turned to Kagome and flashed her a happy and extremely rare grin, only to notice that the girl's blue eyes, filled with sadness and what he could only call an odd sort of respect, were trained on Sesshoumaru's departing figure.  
  
Something deep within growled as Inuyasha realized that the woman's attention lay somewhere far from him. If anyone, he would have expected _her_ to understand what it meant ... what being acknowledged as the true owner of the sword meant, but instead, she was undoubtedly watching the brat vanish into the horizon with Sesshoumaru.  
  
It was, suffice to say, annoying, though he couldn't quite say he was in a _bad_ mood.  
  
"Don't tell me you are going to start sighing again. I told you already -- you can go have as many fucking kids as you want AFTER you finish helping me get all the shards," the hanyou snorted, pushing Tetsusaiga back into its scabbard with a loud CLANG. "Had you listened to me in the first place and just given me the shikon no tama, you could be at your home right now, taking as many exams and having as many brats as you want..."  
  
The idea really wasn't that appealing, but she didn't have to know that.  
  
"Instead..."  
  
"Inuyasha," Kagome interrupted without heat, her blue eyes still watching the horizon.  
  
"... you decide to break the fucking thing up into a thousand pieces just because you decided to play with a bow and arrow," he continued, conveniently forgetting he had been the one to shove the aforementioned weapon into her hands.  
  
"So, bitch," he smirked, an eye half-closed as he waited for the inevitable. "Just be happy I let you keep Shippou around..."  
  
"I'll be back in a couple days," she announced plainly, rubbing her eyes slowly.  
  
He blinked, frowning suddenly.  
  
"What do you MEAN? You've got a job to do, dammit! You can't freaking detect fucking shards from there! You can't be going back for any of those stupid exams! You told me a few days ago that you wouldn't have any more for..."  
  
"I need a few days off. I'll be back," Kagome shrugged as she started walking towards the Bone-Eater's Well, her black hair shining in the bright light. For a moment, she stopped in her steps, tilting her face up to receive the warm caress of the sun's rays.   
  
In that one moment, she looked so beautiful as she stood there, savouring the sun in her innocence, that the hanyou was certain his heart had stopped for a second.  
  
"You aren't going anywhere," he blustered, knowing he had to say something, but suddenly glad she wasn't looking at him. His mind, one-track as always, quickly reverted back to his previous thoughts. With almost a violent movement, he grabbed her writst, smirking triumphantly.  
  
"You can't stop me," the teenager stated calmly, a slight smile touching her lips. "And Inuyasha?"  
  
He winced, suddenly letting her arm go as years of experience warned him what was coming and, even annoyed, he didn't want to hurt the girl in the process.  
  
"Osuwari."  
  
  


* * *

  
  
Wow. That's 8k words. The whole of Chap 16 was a short story in itself. Forgive me for the hell I'm currently putting Sesshou through, but he's gotta _earn_ Kagome, after all, or it doesn't count. Well, I hope you liked this portion. :-) With any luck, see you in Chapter 17!   
  



	22. Chapter 17

  
  
**Title: **Falling Stars  
**Author: **Celyia (cel@celyia.com)  
**Note: ** Hiya, again! :-) Thanks *so* much for all your support, really. I was just terrified to put up Chap 16 because I just *knew* I'd end up alienating the lot of you. I'm so glad, though, to see that the majority of you guys agree that Sesshou needs to start working in order to earn the right to be with Kagome. :-) Heh. I can't tell you how much it helps when you review-- it gives me such a better idea of what you guys are looking for in a story and also, *grin* makes me all happy and excited about writing. Thanks!  
  
As for this chapter- it's pretty short. Hope you like it and you'll end up figuring out where I'm going with the rest of the story once you finish reading this chapter!   
  
Take care and thanks for reading.   
  
-Cel.  
Email: cel@celyia.com  
Mailing List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celyia  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
**CHAPTER 17**   
  
  
  
For a moment, he could almost believe that some forgotten goddess, monumental yet exquisite in her greatness, walked across the surface of the earth, draping the sky and mountains in bolts of soft silk. Soft pinks, merging with startling blues, brilliant oranges, and even gentle greens, swirled in myriad of resplendent color that fell in beautiful abundance upon the horizon, strangely touching the proud youkai as he viewed the scene from the comfort of the top balustrade.   
  
His broad shoulders fell forward in a slouch as, in this rare moment of privacy, he allowed himself to lean against the waist-high wooden railing, almost as if he were trying to absorb even a little of the strength inherent in the polished, dark grains of wood. After a time, his nearly perpetual stony façade vanished as his head fell to the hands clasped upon the rail, his beautiful face tired and pale from stress and worry.   
  
Some days, the battle just didn't seem worth it.   
  
He closed his eyes, feeling the fading warmth of the dying sun caress his cheeks as he waited. Undoubtedly, this night, the attacks would begin again. And again. Until finally, the fortress of the West would finally fall, victim to the greed and conniving of those who would see him to his ruin.   
  
_Let it fall. Let it burn. I never wanted this._   
  
Sesshoumaru shook his head, a slight, ironic smile turning his lips as he banished the rebellious thought, knowing that no matter how he may scream inside, he would die before he allowed harm to come to his holdings. Still, it didn't ease the discomfort in his heart knowing that mere hours would bring the meaningless demise of more of his warriors in the fight to retain control of a damnable spot of land.   
  
Almost of its own accord, his hand snaked into the inner folds of his white owagi, pulling a small cloth from its depths. Meticulously, he held the red fabric to his nose, inhaling the scent embedded in the strong threads almost desperately, as if the smell alone was enough to stay the demons that haunted the youkai.   
  
At this point, he was past the point of caring why the woman's gentle scent brought him comfort; all he knew was that it did and he wasn't above using what few advantages he still possessed. Carefully, he fingered the scarlet necktie, the fabric coarse and imbued with old blood, yet as filthy as it was, he still refused to have it washed.   
  
For Sesshoumaru knew once it the cloth was washed, his last remaining connection would disappear along with her unique scent that still permeated the tie.   
  
_Kagome._   
  
For three months now, he had tried to banish the memory of the woman from his mind, but her smile, both beautiful and damning in its sweet vulnerability, haunted him until all he could do was stare at the thin scrap of fabric resting in his hand, willing himself to hate her but unable to do so.   
  
His back straightened as he pulled himself up to his full, formidable height.   
  
Far too much of his precious time had been spent in contemplation over the human, and it needed to stop. His fortress, the only thing he had left in his life, was beginning to falter beneath the pounding assault of the siege and instead of doing anything about it, he was stood there, sequestered from all, in order to consider the existence of a woman who was disgusted by him.   
  
The growl started low -- intense -- but soon rang through the humming air as the youkai lord rolled the necktie into a small ball. He needed her as much as he needed his worthless brother in his life, Sesshoumaru decided as he pulled his arm back to throw this last reminder of the bitch from his life.   
  
Yet, even as his arm flew forward, carried by the momentum of his anger and self-hate, his fingers refused to stop clutching the fabric, almost as though it were some mystical rope that would eventually lead out of this hell he wallowed in.   
  
His lips furrowed into a frown as his eyes sought the comforting red cloth, almost as if he couldn't believe it still remained within his hand. Still, without giving himself time to contemplate his actions, he brought it to his nose for one last inhale before he tucked it back within his owagi.   
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama?" a feminine voice called out, the sweet tone tempered with what could only be called insatiable curiosity.   
  
"Yes. Kutsumi?" he drawled, carefully schooling his face back into a state of indifference.   
  
Bristly white hair, no longer the length of his hand, swung into view even as a petite body shimmied out through the partially open door.   
  
"It is nightfall, Sesshoumaru-sama," the young youkai spouted needlessly, standing on her toes in order to try to gauge what exactly had absorbed her lord's attention for so long.   
  
He looked at her blankly, watching as the girl wriggled with embarrassment under his scrutiny.   
  
"Return within, Kutsumi," Sesshoumaru commanded almost congenially after a moment. "And take the children to the inner sanctuary."   
  
Kutsumi bowed low, her hair swinging wildly with the movement. "Yes, my lord."   
  
He nodded once, allowing his eyes to return to the twilight-touched hills surrounding the fortress as the child dog youkai to left him to his thoughts.   
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
During the course of his entire existence, he had never felt anything like the terrible burning in his chest that plagued him now. Relieved that there was no one around to witness his moment of weakness as he fell against the wall (was so hard finding good help these days and it would have been highly inconvenient to kill one of his servants just when he finally got them trained), he lowered his head and grunted.   
  
His forefinger snaked down to his owagi, stained and already dirtied by the night's use, and pried it open. Perverse curiosity forced him to peer down at his chest and see what damage had been wrought in the matter of only a couple hours.   
  
Black.   
  
The irony of having the skin directly above his heart mutate into an uneven, patchy black wasn't lost on him, but he was sure he would have enjoyed it a lot more had the injury not been so unsightly.   
  
Or hurt a bit less.   
  
Still, it made his plans a bit more inconvenient. Naraku had known that eventually this body, strong yet willowy in its youth, would wear out and disintegrate like the rest, but he had expected to spend another two to five years using this vehicle before being forced to look for another beautiful shell teetering on the brink of adulthood.   
  
Instead, that vacuous excuse for a miko, all gawky legs and inferior form, had managed in the matter of three months to turn what had once been his kingdom into a living hell. With every moment that slipped through his fingers, Naraku was pushed closer and closer to being forced to accepting an inferior body instead of the one he planned on possessing.   
  
Even amidst the throbbing pain, a grin cursed his lips as his self-confidence assured himself that things would be well underway before this body finally crumbled into dust. After all, it had taken three months for the decay from the purified arrow to reach his chest, so he could undoubtedly afford to wait the two additional weeks he needed for his plan to be put in effect. And what a brilliant plan it was. Almost all the pieces were in place- all he needed now was to lure the inept miko and her company to the Western fortress before it fell and that, he had no doubt, would prove to be as easy as breathing.   
  
And while Naraku didn't quite fancy the idea of being a female for the next ten years, the thought of the pain and anguish he would cause the hanyou and the monk by parading around in the miko's body made the sacrifice completely worth it.   
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
Poor Sesshoumaru- first Kagome tells him that he disgusts her and then, he returns home only to end up having to fight off a siege! Things aren't going well for Our Hero, but never fear! I have faith he'll get things together soon. After all, Sesshou is nothing if not a survivor!   
  



End file.
